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The cherished BBC presenter, Emma Britton, has passed away at the age of 52. Emma, renowned for her role as host of the breakfast shows on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Somerset, succumbed to stage four lung cancer, a diagnosis she received in April 2025. Her family expressed their deep gratitude for the love and care she received in her final months.
In a heartfelt tribute, her family shared, “We are planning to commemorate and celebrate Emma’s life just as she wished. Her grace and love, which she extended to countless families facing similar challenges, will guide us through this difficult time. It’s overwhelming to realize the profound impact she had on so many lives over the years.”
Emma’s colleagues at the BBC also mourned her loss. Gareth Roberts, the executive editor of the stations she worked for, remembered her as a “genuine, warm presenter” and emphasized the void she leaves as both a colleague and a friend.
He remarked, “Emma was truly the epitome of what BBC local radio stands for. She was not just a presenter but someone who lived in the West and cared deeply about the communities of Somerset and Bristol, a passion that resonated through the airwaves.”
“A genuine, warm presenter who not only lived here in the West but who really cared about the communities in Somerset and Bristol with a passion that leaped out of the radio.”
Stephanie Marshall, Head of BBC West, added: “Emma was Mrs Bridgwater, always doing her hometown and Somerset proud.
“She will be painfully missed but completely unforgettable, and the world while poorer without her, we are far better off for her having been in it, if only it could have been for a bit longer.”
Emma joined BBC Somerset back in 2007, before taking over the breakfast show in 2013. She then moved across to Radio Bristol in 2016, where she hosted for five years.
In February 2026, she raised over £11,000 for ALK Positive UK, a charity which she said “saved my life from falling apart”.
She added: “In the weeks following my diagnosis I was in a pretty dark place.
“The charity has given me and my husband John support, advice, solidarity, information, education, friendship and above all they give us hope.”