TV Host/Actress Dies After ‘Long Illness’: Kathryn Apanowicz Was 64

Kathryn Apanowicz, actress and TV broadcaster for the BBC, has died. She was 64.

Her death was announced Monday after a battle with a long illness.

Apanowicz was first on TV at 11 years old, when she hosted the children’s program Junior Countdown on ITV. She later became known for her starring roles in several BBC programs in the 1980s. She was best known for her roles in Angels, which was about student nurses, and EastEnders, a drama which is one of England’s longest running television series at over 7,000 episodes.

Later on, she launched cable channel Wire TV in 1992. She hosted the talk show Afternoon Live for the channel. After that, she became a host for BBC Radio Leeds and BBC Radio York.

Apanowicz was the partner of Richard Whiteley, who was famous for hosting the game show Countdown. He died in 2005 after a failed operation due to endocarditis.

Carol Vorderman, who was also on Countdown with Whiteley, said on social media: “Now, she will be with him again, at his side, where she was always at her happiest. Rest In Peace my friend.”

Former BBC host Christa Ackroyd also mourned her fellow host.

“Reunited with her beloved Richard. I will miss you so much my lovely friend,” she told the BBC. “What adventures we had. The world will always be a duller place without you.”