TV presenter Magenta Devine dies aged 61

Magenta Devine has passed away at the age of 61.

The British TV host, known for presenting on both Channel 4 and BBC, reportedly died during treatment for a short illness at a central London hospital, according to her family.

According to her family, the 61-year-old (whose real name was Kim Taylor) had been undergoing treatment at a central London hospital.

“She was a talented writer and stylish on-screen presence who was greatly admired by her many friends and colleagues for her creativity and wit,” the family said in a statement.

Devine co-hosted Channel 4’s Network 7, a youth music and current affairs programme, after being picked by the show’s editor Janet Street-Porter. She presented for two series in 1987 and 1988 but after its cancellation followed Porter to BBC2 where she DEF II.

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Rough Guides was a segment of the show before it was spun-off into its own series which Devine also hosted with Sankha Guha.

“She used her public persona to tell stories about the world that mattered to her and inspired a whole generation to travel with a sense of adventure and an open mind,” Guha wrote on Facebook.

“We were very close – for five years we presented a number of programmes together – Network 7 on Channel Four, Reportage and the Rough Guide series on the BBC.

“Together they came to define a genre of TV at the time – youth (or ‘yoof’) television. A new kind of television that had attitude, irreverence and a commitment to telling it like it is. Magenta, more than anyone, embodied those qualities.

I knew she was ill, but her death is a body blow,” he added. “I have lost a soul mate and a partner in adventure.”

Devine is survived by her father Gerald Taylor, her sisters Gillian and Georgina and her brother Nicholas.