Gloria Hunniford’s husband Stephen Way has died at the age of 85, his family has confirmed.
In a statement, his family said: “It is with huge sadness and very heavy hearts that we share the passing of Stephen Way, Gloria’s beloved husband, who lost his battle yesterday afternoon.
“Stephen had been heroically fighting his illness… but always with great tenacity and a positive spirit.”
Hunniford said of her husband: “Stephen was a gentleman and a giant of a man, who will leave the most enormous void not only in my life but our entire family.
“He was an incredibly kind, generous, and caring man with a delightfully quirky sense of humour which remained till the end.
“We had a tremendously happy 25-year marriage and did so many beautiful and exciting things together that I will always cherish.”
Gloria Hunniford and Stephen Way recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary
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Way was described as a “wonderful husband, father and grandfather”, as Hunniford added: “It’s a great shock and words cannot express my sadness at this time.
“A bright shining light has dimmed, and he shall be missed at every turn.”
Back in May, Hunniford opened up about a stroke her husband suffered in 2014 and urged others to educate themselves on the signs and symptoms.
Speaking on the Loose Women panel, Hunniford recalled how she was getting ready for work one day before her husband fell into the room.
Gloria recently opened up about her husband’s stroke in 2014
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She explained: “There was a car waiting to take me filming outside the house and Stephen, my husband whom I love dearly, fell into the room.
“I asked what happened and he said his arm was like marshmallow and he couldn’t feel anything. That set off warning bells because there were other strokes in my family. So I said to him to lie down on the bed. In the meantime, I went next door and rang my GP and he said to take him to the hospital immediately.”
Instead of waiting for an ambulance, Hunniford rushed Way into the car which was waiting outside for her and made their way to the hospital as fast as they could.
She added of the incident: “If you go to A&E you can wait a long time but if you say my husband is having a heart attack or a stroke they take you like that.
“They were brilliant however the doctor kept saying to me how long ago he had it. I am going to just give him something, do something, help him in some way.
“He would say it again and I said maybe two and a half hours he asked again and I was getting more and more frustrated then he explained to me that four hours is the cut-off point for effective treatment.”
Stephen Way’s family released a statement on his death
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Hunniford advised that if you think anyone is having a stroke to get them to the hospital as soon as possible.
“I believe that saved his life. However, they say to the patient in the middle of all this do you agree to have this clot-busting injection? I think he is not in any state to say that but the sister said that he had to have it because his leg was getting more and more disabled.”
The couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year and told Hello! of the heartwarming day: “I can remember walking into the church, filled with family and friends, and the candles all lit – it was wonderful.
“We’ve often said we would love to live it all over again. Of course, there is physical attraction, but our relationship is full of kindness and humour. We enjoy talking to each other. Talk, talk, talk – that is a wonderful thing.”