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Sally Nugent pays emotional tribute to Bill Turnbull on his birthday

'What a man. What a great man'

Watch below: BBC Breakfast hosts pay tribute to Bill Turnbull on his birthday.

BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent paid an emotional tribute to her former co-host Bill Turnbull on what would have been his 67th birthday.

Turnbull was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017 before passing away last September.

Discussing Turnbull with colleague Nina Warhurst, Nugent said: "What a man. What a great man, would have been his birthday today."

Asked by Warhurst about her memories of working with Turnbull, Nugent added: "Yes, he's just brilliant to work with.

Bill Turnbull died of prostate cancer last year. (Getty)
Bill Turnbull died of prostate cancer last year. (Getty)

"Brilliant to know. Very, very kind, very, very wise and as we saw in that piece there, really private, so for him to talk about his health was a really big deal, that's how important it was to him."

Read more: Bill Turnbull remembered as 'great friend and great man'

Nugent concluded by saying: "We really miss him."

Turnbull's daughter Flora had appeared on BBC Breakfast to talk about how she was planning on running the London Marathon in his honour.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 10:  (L to R) Sally Nugent, Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin attend the TRIC Television and Radio Industries Club Awards at The Grosvenor House Hotel on March 10, 2015 in London, England.  (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images)
Bill Turnbull with his former BBC Breakfast colleagues Sally Nugent and Louise Minchin. (Getty Images)

She said: "Losing dad was obviously such a big thing for us and our family. I think first of all I wanted to have a purpose this year, and to remember Dad in the most purposeful way possible.

"This felt like I could pay tribute to him in a way that was personal to him, because he ran the marathon a few times, and also to highlight this cause for Prostate Cancer UK."

Turnbull was a host on BBC Breakfast from 2001 until his departure in 2016 with his diagnosis coming a year later.

Sally Nugent paid tribute to Bill Turnbull on his birthday. (BBC)
Sally Nugent paid tribute to Bill Turnbull on his birthday. (BBC)

He later made a documentary about his cancer battle for Channel 4 entitled Staying Alive.

Turnbull continued to work up until around a year before his death as he was a guest host on Good Morning Britain with his former BBC Breakfast colleague Susanna Reid. He also appeared on Richard Osman's House of Games.

Watch: Susanna Reid pays tribute to Bill Turnbull