TV host Dale Winton has died at the age of 62, the star’s agent has said.
The presenter was best known for hosting ITV game show Supermarket Sweep from 1993 to 2000.
He also presented the National Lottery game show In It To Win It and BBC series Hole In The Wall.
Winton’s long-term agent Jan Kennedy confirmed the star had died at his home on Wednesday.
“It is with great sadness that we can confirm the passing of Dale Winton who died at home earlier today,” she said.
“While we know many will share this terrible loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time of grief.”
Following news of Winton’s death, tributes poured in from the world of entertainment.
:: ‘A sweet man’: Stars pay tribute to Dale Winton
Presenter Davina McCall said: “I am so so so sad to hear about Dale Winton, a lovely, warm, kind, sensitive, generous soul with a touch of naughty! RIP.”
Chat show host Graham Norton wrote on Twitter: “Dale Winton gave me the best bit of showbiz advice I ever got – don’t quit the hit! Thank you Dale.”
Theatre star Michael Ball said: “So sad to hear that the true gentleman, the charming and so kind Dale Winton has been taken from us far to soon. RIP lovely man.”
Presenter Jonathan Ross said: “Dale Winton was a real sweetheart. Lovely man. Sad to hear the news.”
Comedian David Walliams, who starred with Winton in the BBC comedy series Come Fly With Me, said he was “heartbroken” by the star’s death.
Meanwhile, singer Boy George said he was “shocked”, describing Winton as a “sweet man”.
Born in Marylebone, London, in May 1955, Winton began his career as a DJ and presented shows on Radio Trent in Nottingham before leaving the station in 1985.
He launched his TV career two years later, working for Channel 4, the Lifestyle Channel and ITV.
But it was in the 1990s that Winton became a household name, hosting daytime quiz show Dale’s Supermarket Sweep.
His other shows included Pets Win Prizes, Touch The Truck, Celebrity Fit Club and most recently, Dale Winton’s Florida Fly Drive on Channel 5.
Winton, who came out as gay in his 2002 autobiography, spoke about his battle with depression in 2016 after a spell out of the limelight.
Appearing on ITV chat show Loose Women, Winton said: “I did not want to put one foot in front of the other outside the house.
“I would not leave the house. Five years I went through it. I wanted to withdraw.”
Winton’s parents Gary and Sheree, an actress, divorced when he was 10 and his father died three years later on Winton’s bar mitzvah.
Winton’s mother died following an overdose just days after after he turned 21.
The remaining episodes of Dale Winton’s Florida Fly Drive were due to air on Channel 5 in June after they were postponed in the wake of the Florida school shooting.
From – SkyNews
