Former TV presenter and actress Kathryn Apanowicz has died aged 64, it has been announced with a friend and colleague sharing a touching tribute
Actress and broadcaster Kathryn Apanowicz has died.
The actress was 64, with her death announced on Monday following a long illness. Taking to social media, her friend paid tribute to her. On Facebook, former ITV Calendar presenter Christa Ackroyd labelled her a “lovely friend”. In a touching tribute, she wrote: “Reunited with her beloved Richard. I will miss you so much my lovely friend. What adventures we had. The world will always be a duller place without you…”
She went on to share an image of her and Kathryn, writing on the post: “Thank you for the music my friend. RIP [heartbroken emoji].”
Kathryn Apanowicz and Carol Vorderman (Image: PA)
Kathryn was the partner of former Countdown host Richard Whiteley. The pair were together from 1994 until his death in 2005. She lived with him for the last seven years of his life. Following his death, she released a book titled Richard by Kathryn: The Life of Richard Whiteley. He died from heart problems at the age of 61 with Kathryn by his side.
In 2017, she moved to deny what she labelled were “ridiculous” claims that he had worked for MI5. It comes after actor Ricky Tomlinson had accused the former Countdown host of conspiring with the Government and orchestrating a plot to have him and a group called the Shrewsbury 24 imprisoned. However, Kathryn claimed at the time that her partner’s asthma and poor grasp of technology and maths meant there was no chance he could have coped with such a secret career.
After news of Kathryn’s death broke, fans took to social media to share messages of condolence. One Twitter/X user shared a snippet of an appearance she made on EastEnders. They captioned the upload: “So sorry to hear of the death of Kathryn Apanowicz. While only a small part of her career, she made a big impression as Mags in the 80s on #EastEnders. Very fondly remembered.”
Ian White of ITV Calendar also took to the platform and wrote: “Very sad news tonight about friend and former colleague Kathryn Apanowicz.” Another fan said: “I was sad to hear that the presenter and actress Kathryn Apanowicz has passed away. I remember Kathryn’s days in EastEnders and her appearing in a charity show in Leicester back in the late 80s. RIP, Kathryn.”
As well as EastEnders and Emmerdale, IMDB credits Kathryn with roles on Bugsy Malone as a child and being a presenter on ITV’s Live Talk.
