Who is Frances Robathan; the wife of late BBC News presenter George Alagiah, who has died aged 67

The media world is in mourning this afternoon after it was announced that journalist and former BBC News presenter George Aligiah has died aged 67 after his battle with bowel cancer. The BBC broke the news, with the BBC’s Press Office tweeting: “Across the BBC, we are all incredibly sad to hear the news about George. We are thinking about his family at this time.”

“George was one of the best and bravest journalists of his generation who reported fiercely across the world as well as presenting news flawlessly. He was more than just an outstanding journalist, audiences could sense his kindness, empathy and wonderful humanity. He was loved by all and we will miss him enormously,” the Tweet concluded on behalf of Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.

He joined the BBC in 1989 after seven years in print journalism. He began his career as a developing world correspondent, reporting on events such as the genocide in Rwanda and the plight of the Marsh Arabs in southern Iraq. He was also the presenter of BBC Four News from its launch in 2002, and co-presented the BBC Six O'Clock News with Sophie Raworth and Natasha Kaplinsky. 

Alagiah was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in April 2014. He underwent treatment and made "encouraging progress," returning to work in November 2015. However, the cancer returned in January 2018 and Alagiah underwent further treatment. In March 2018, he revealed that his cancer was terminal and could have been caught earlier if the screening programme in England was the same as that in Scotland.

In June 2020, Alagiah said that the cancer had spread to his lungs, liver, and lymph nodes, but was not at a "chronic" or "terminal" stage. In October 2022, he announced that his cancer had spread further and he took a break from television to undergo a new series of treatment.

Alagiah is survived by his two children, Adam and Matthew, and his wife, Frances Robathan, who married Aligiah in 1984 after meeting him at Durham University, where they both studied.

Who is Frances Robathan?

Though there is not a great deal of information publicly about Frances Robathan, her work profile states that she has worked as a Senior Partnerships Adviser of the Fairtrade Foundation since 2002. She has also had the position of Head of Programme Partnerships and Head of Institutional Fundraising at the Foundation.

Although the couple kept their lives private, George has spoken out about his family in an interview, sharing: "When I look back and I looked at my journey… the family I had, the opportunities my family had, the great good fortune to bump into [Frances Robathan], who’s now been my wife and lover for all these years, the kids that we brought up… it didn’t feel like a failure."