Fiona Bruce in a pink jacket
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Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce leads tributes following death of colleague Nicky Illis: ‘Simply irreplaceable’

Nicky also worked with Fiona on Fake or Fortune?

Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce has paid tribute to her BBC colleague Nicky Illis, following her death at the age of 53.

Nicky was a TV producer and director who worked on Antiques Roadshow alongside Fiona. She was also the long-term director of Fake or Fortune?, also hosted by Fiona.

Fiona Bruce in a pink jacket
Fiona Bruce has paid tribute to her Antiques Roadshow colleague Nicky following her death (Credit: Splash News)

Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce on Nicky’s death: ‘Simply irreplaceable’

Paying tribute to her friend and colleague, Fiona said: “Nicky is simply irreplaceable. Not just for her huge talent but also for her sheer exuberance, enthusiasm and sense of fun. Everyone on the team loved her and none more than me.”

Everyone on the team loved her and none more than me.

Nicky helped develop investigative art show Fake or Fortune? back in 2009. She went on to direct and produce 10 series of the show. At the start of this year, during a brief respite from her cancer, Nicky presented a new episode of the show alongside Fiona.

She was also part of the crew behind the scenes on Antiques Roadshow.

Nicky is survived by her husband Seb, who she married in 2012, and their children Luke and Eliza.

‘She will be very much missed’

Tributes have poured in following the news of Nicky’s death.

Fake or Fortune? series editor Robert Murphy said: “We were partners in art crime, united by our shared love of art, storytelling and the twists and turns of this addictive show. She was someone I respected immensely, not just as a director and peer but as an all-round good person, so kind and considerate, with a famous sense of humour.

“I can picture her coming into the office, coffee in one robehand, a bag slung over her arm bulging with art books, ready to solve another mystery. It’s quieter now and we’ve lost a precious font of knowledge, a trailblazer and a great friend. She will be very much missed.”

Read more: Antiques Roadshow star Theo Burrell fears she has ‘a year or two left’ amid cancer diagnosis

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor