'Like losing a member of my family': Gloria Hunniford pays tribute to good friend Sir Terry Wogan
Watch: Gloria Hunniford's full interview from ITV News At Ten
Gloria Hunniford has told ITV News hearing the news about the death of her good friend Sir Terry Wogan was "like losing a member of my family."
The two broadcasters remained friends after working in radio together and Sir Terry also worked with Ms Hunniford's daughter Caron Keating.
In an interview with Julie Etchingham, Ms Hunniford said she was "deeply upset" and had shed "a few tears" after hearing of his death on Sunday.
Speaking of his illness, Ms Hunniford said: "I hadn't heard a whisper about cancer."
She told ITV News Sir Terry had comforted her after Caron's death from cancer and spoke of his grief at losing one his own daughter's at the age of only three weeks.
Sir Terry told her he had admired how 41-year-old Caron had fought her battle with cancer with "great dignity" and kept the news within her family.
He told her: "If it ever happens to me that's the way i'm gonna do it", Ms Hunniford told ITV News.
Ms Hunniford, who was born in Northern Ireland, said she always admired her friend for his Irishness and how he held on to that "with a real grip".
"He always said that it was because people thought he was classless. They couldn't quite work out was he mid class? Was he posh? Was he not? He felt that was a good thing because everybody accepted him without any kind of judgement. They either liked him or they didn't, Ms Hunniford added.
Crediting him with helping her career when she moved to England, she said: "He would call me 'Hotlips Hunniford, he would cal me 'Gus Hunnibun' - he always called me 'Gus' or 'Honey Gloriford'.
"He was a very good man just to go and have a chat with. I always do credit him with certainly helping me with my career in this country."
She recalled one of her favourite memories of working with Sir Terry was on Children in Need when they dressed up as Sonny and Cher.
"I still laugh when I look at the photographs because we dressed as Sonny and Cher and we sang I Got You Babe and it was hilarious because he looked ridiculous, I looked utterly ridiculous, but he was up for the fun and up for doing it and its one of my really funny memories."
She said she found it difficult to think she "won't bump into him again."
"He was such a joy that it just seems so cruel that we won't see him again."