Beloved Greater Manchester-born presenter Judith Chalmers has died at 90
RIP.
themanc.comJudith Chalmers, the longtime host of ITV’s Wish You Were Here…?, has reportedly died at age 90 in May 2026. Her family said she passed away peacefully at home after years living with Alzheimer's disease, leaving behind her husband Neil Durden-Smith and two children.[2][3]
Background
- Judith Chalmers (often credited as Judith Rosemary Locke Chalmers OBE) was a prominent British television presenter known for travel programming across several decades starting in the 1970s.[3][6]
- She hosted Wish You Were Here…? from 1974 until 2003, helping bring global destinations into viewers’ living rooms.[3]
What happened next
- Tributes from fans and the broadcasting community surfaced online following the announcement of her passing.[2][3]
- Initial news outlets provided statements from her family and highlighted her six decades in broadcasting and her battle with Alzheimer’s disease in her final years.[2][3]
If you’d like, I can pull a concise timeline of her career highlights or compile a quick tribute summary from multiple sources. I can also search for recent remembrances, quotes from colleagues, or related tributes.