Dermot Murnaghan died at home in North London a year after revealing that he had been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. His family said he was 68 and died peacefully with them at his side.
In a statement on his X account, his family thanked the public for “the many, many kind messages of goodwill that he received over the last year since his diagnosis of Stage IV prostate cancer and his subsequent campaigning to raise awareness for screening programmes for the disease”.
Dermot Murnaghan and prostate cancer testing
After revealing his diagnosis last summer, Murnaghan urged “all men over 50, in high risk groups, or displaying symptoms” to get tested and to campaign for routine prostate screening by the NHS. He also said, “Early detection is crucial. And be aware, this disease can sometimes progress rapidly without obvious symptoms.”
That warning matched the wider medical picture in the facts available here: common symptoms can include needing to urinate more often, especially at night, difficulty starting to urinate, weak flow, a long wait to pass urine, or blood in urine or semen. There may also be no sign or symptoms for years, which is why a diagnosis can arrive only after the disease has already advanced.
Broadcasters and tributes
Broadcasters and politicians paid tribute after his death. Murnaghan had been a familiar face across British TV, presenting the ITV Evening News and the News at Six and Ten, and serving as a main presenter of Breakfast from September 2002 to December 2007.
He also hosted Eggheads for 11 years from 2003 and later became one of the faces of Sky News from 2007 to 2023. Before that, he fronted ITV shows including The Big Story and the News at 10 from 1993 to 1997, and the channel's Evening News and Nightly News from 1999 to 2001.
What remains for readers
The family statement gives the clearest timeline: diagnosis last summer, campaigning through the following year, and death at home in North London earlier this morning. For anyone over 50 or in a high-risk group, the practical step is the one Murnaghan pushed publicly: arrange testing and ask about screening through the NHS.
