BLUE Peter legend Diane Louise’s husband Jordan Giles Broadbent has died after a short illness.
The famous violinist, who played in the Stringfever family quartet, was only 51 years old.
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Diana Jordan’s husband Giles Broadbent has passed away Credit: Getty
In a brief statement, the group said: “Although Giles has not been well of late, we as a family are still in shock at his passing. The band will be taking a break until we make funeral arrangements.”
Giles and presenter Diane, 63, got together in 2006 and married the following year.
Songs of Praise host Diane was effusive in her praise of her husband in an interview last year.
She said: “We share similar values, although we’re quite different people – I’m much more of an introvert and Giles likes the house to be busy and full of people. He’s also a musician, so he’s very expressive.”
Giles’ musical group combines comedy with virtuoso ability and has performed more than 1,000 shows around the world.
On the group’s page, Giles described himself as “young at heart” and said he loved the “buzz” of live performances.
Nicknamed ‘The Boss’, Giles was the eldest of brothers Ralph, Graham and Neal and played lead violin.
Diane is best known for becoming the first black host of Blue Peter in 1990.
Around the same time, she became the guardian of her niece Justine after the sudden death of her sister Jay from a virus.
Quickly achieving fan favorite status, Diane formed a strong friendship with Anthea Turner and spent six years on the show.
In an interview with The Sun last year, she said: “I was definitely told it was a big deal for me to become the first black presenter. ‘There will be media interest and there may be members of the public who are not happy about this’. At the time, Blue Peter was a bit institution. It was the nation’s favorite children’s program. A lot depended on that decision.
“For every Blue Peter host, you’re more than a host, you’re actually an ambassador, and so being the first black host, I definitely knew that getting the job was a lot more than just representing myself. I knew that the spotlight was on me and if I got it wrong, which could have a negative impact on others like me.
“When I started working, I was told to prepare for a few voices of opposition, and as expected, there were letters that expressed very loudly how much they didn’t like someone like me, but in short order the viewers got to know me, and when you get to know someone , the fear of who you thought he was, on the whole, tends to disappear.”
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Diane described Giles as ‘very expressive’Credit: Getty
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