Debbie McGee, 59, had a guest presenting spot on Matthew Wright’s Channel 5 show and paid tribute to the theoretical physicist, who died aged 76 yesterday.
The Strictly Come Dancing star began: “Stephen Hawking died and his children have praised him for his courage and persistence, which I think is a great way to describe him.
“He was the first to have a theory of cosmology and all the things he achieved and he was diagnosed at the age of 22 with this rare form of motor neurone disease and told that he probably only had a few years to live at most.”
The former Strictly Come Dancing finalist went on to read out some tweets from viewers, but was interrupted by host Matthew.
“Yeah his books sold 10 million copies,” Matthew chipped in.
Debbie went on: “Yeah, yeah his book, The Theory of Relativity, wasn’t it?”
Thankfully, Matthew was on hand to help out, grinning: “I think that was Einstein.”
“Oh, yeah it was,” Debbie gasped. “I’m having a blonde moment.”
She teased: “You will invite me back when I’m not blonde, will you?”
Stephen Hawking’s family confirmed the professor died yesterday.
The British physicist was father to Robert, 50, Lucy, 47, and Timothy, 38, who he had with his first wife Jane Wilde, now 73.
In a touching joint statement, the trio wrote: “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.
“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.
“He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love’. We will miss him forever.”
Stars from across the world have paid tribute to Hawking, with Eddie Redmayne – who played the trail-blazer in the Theory of Everything – hailing him as “the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet”.
The Wright Stuff airs weekdays at 9.15am on Channel 5.
