Broadcaster Pattie Coldwell dies

Coldwell battled breast cancer before the brain tumour

Television and radio presenter Pattie Coldwell has died after a long battle with cancer.

Coldwell, who was 50, was best-known for presenting consumer and current affairs TV shows including Open Air, with Eamonn Holmes, DIY show On The House, and Nationwide on the BBC.

She also fronted You and Yours on BBC Radio 4 and talk shows on BBC Radio Five Live.

It has taught me that how you live is more important than how long you live

Pattie Coldwell in August

She recently said the cancer had been "a gift" because it made her determined to make the last months of her life her happiest.

Coldwell, from Lancashire, was diagnosed with brain cancer in June after battling two bouts of breast cancer.

Known for her gravelly voice, she also presented shows for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and featured on ITV daytime chat show Loose Women.

She wrote about her illness in a weekly column in the Daily Express, which she said prompted a "huge" number of letters of support from readers.

Coldwell with Eamonn Holmes (left) and Bob Wellings on Open Air

The final column appeared on Thursday, the day her death was announced, but it was written by friend and neighbour Jonathan Dodd because she was too ill.

He said she had grown too weak for chemotherapy and was about to move into a hospice.

She once referred to her ability to laugh through her struggle as her "tumour humour".

In August, she told the Express: "In a strange way, this cancer has been a gift. It's been the making of me.

"I don't think I have ever known such happiness. The support and love I've had from such a huge bunch of people has overwhelmed me.

"It has taught me that how you live is more important than how long you live."

Divorce

She married Evan, a 29-year-old fisherman, at the start of this year after meeting him on a family holiday in the Caribbean island in 1998.

She had previously been married to journalist Tony Kerner for six years.

"The divorce was bloody awful - much worse than the two lots of breast cancer," she said.

The couple had a daughter, Dannie, who is now 10.

Coldwell, who described herself as "outspoken and confident", also said she would be buried in the maroon dress in which she wed Evan.

She said Dannie would wear her bridesmaid's dress, "because that would remind her of the wedding, which was such a happy time for us all".