Friends and family pay respects to HTV newsreader Nicola Heywood-Thomas at her funeral

  • Nicola's funeral was held at Salem Chapel in Cardiff

Family and friends have said their last goodbye to former HTV newsreader, Nicola Heywood-Thomas, who died aged 67 last month.

The broadcaster presented ITV Cymru Wales' evening news programme, Wales at Six, for more than 15 years.

ITV Wales' presenter Jonathan Hill started his presenting career with Nicola nearly three decades ago.

Jonathan Hill led tributes to his former co-presenter and friend following her passing.

He described Nicola as "a quite brilliant journalist and wonderful presenter".

"I was lucky enough to present my first programme with Nicola, some 30 years ago, and I was terrified. Yet she put me at ease and was so generous and supportive."

Nicola's funeral was held at Salem Chapel in Cardiff on Tuesday afternoon.

Nicola began her career at BBC Wales as a news researcher after university. In more recent times, she was the host of the Radio Wales Arts Show up until February this year.

ITV Wales' weather presenter, Ruth Dodsworth said she has very happy memories of Nicola: "She had big shoulder pads, huge earrings, what an amazing lady, my love to all her family."

In 2018, Nicola visited ITV Cymru Wales' HQ in Cardiff Bay to share her memories to mark the broadcasters 60th anniversary.

She told ITV Wales reporter Mike Griffiths: "There are still people that will say to me 'oh you're the lady from the news aren't you?' and I think it's an awful long time since I did ITV Wales News.

"People worked very hard, took the job seriously, but didn't take themselves too seriously and that was the lovely thing.

"It really has been that sense of the television programme, in news terms that would bring Wales together, never patronising, never stuffy, never needlessly serious, but taking Wales and what mattered to Wales very seriously."