Mavis Ackerley Illness: There can’t be many phone calls more difficult to make than one to tell your mother that her husband has died. But that’s exactly the conversation presenter Michelle Ackerley found herself having in the early hours of March 27, 2018.
“It was such a horrible thing, to just hear Mum howling down the phone from the shock,” she recalls.
The One Show host was in London to film Richard Osman’s House of Games when the news came that Michelle’s father Marcus, 62, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer the previous summer, had died in the night.
“I remember being in the hotel and having really weird dreams,” says Michelle, 36, who presents BBC1’s Crimewatch Roadshow Live and joined Loose Women as a panellist in August.
Mavis Ackerley Illness: Horrible’ Moment She Informed Family About Her Dad’s Death
“Sometimes he might have a burst of energy and we’d think, ‘Oh, he’s back to normal’ but as the holiday progressed, he was getting worse and worse, with no energy and no appetite.”
As soon as the family flew back to the UK, Marcus headed straight for his GP’s surgery. “They chatted through how he was feeling and he was referred to Macclesfield Hospital the same day,” says Michelle. “They admitted him instantly and he spent about two weeks having tests.”
Initially the family were told there might be an issue with his immune system. “Then one day, we were taken into a super-comfortable room with sofas, calming wallpaper, lovely pictures and a box of tissues,” says Michelle. “You could tell the news wouldn’t be good.”
The doctors revealed that Marcus, a smoker, had lung cancer. “I was sitting there trying to be so strong for Dad and so was Mum,” says Michelle. “And Dad was trying to be strong for us. I remember thinking, ‘I can’t cry here’ and stepping out into a corridor and just bursting into tears because it was too much for my brain to process. I couldn’t take it all in.”
Marcus’ cancer was very advanced – stage four – and when he asked how long he might have left, his doctor revealed it could be as little as four or five months.
Who is Mavis Ackerley and what is she known for?
It’s not always easy working with family, but Mavis seems to be doing a pretty good job of it.
Mavis is known for presenting BBC docuseries Dirty Rotten Scammers alongside her daughter Michelle Ackerley.
The show airs weekdays at 10am on BBC One and sees the mother and daughter team explore the world of cyber fraud, hacking and other internet-based crime.
Mavis is a personal trainer, and can be found on Instagram @mavisackerly.
According to her Twitter bio she’s a life coach and stylist and is “Living in the Moment and planning for tomorrow!”
How Many Children Does She Have?
Mavis’ daughter Michelle was adopted by her father Marcus aged four, the Mirror reported.
Marcus sadly died of lung cancer in March 2018, and was survived by Mavis, Michelle and her brother Johnny.
Michelle told the Mirror: “Out of everybody, he was my biggest advocate, my greatest supporter.
“Even now, over two years later, if I get great work news like the Loose Women gig, even though it’s fantastic and I’m really happy, there’s an element of sadness because the person that I’d really want to tell, first and foremost, is Dad – and he’s not here to share in that moment with me.”
Who is Michelle Ackerley?
Her daughter Michelle is a TV presenter, who joined the BBC as a programme-maker in 2005.
The 37-year-old was born on July 21, 1984.
She grew up in Manchester, has a psychology degree, and has worked across various of shows within entertainment, children’s and current affairs.
In April 2022, she announced her engagement to rugby coach Benjamin Ryan.
She was unveiled as a new host on ITV’s Loose Women on August 24, 2020, and featured as lead presenter on the show for two episodes.
In 2022, she appeared again as a competition presenter.
She also stood in on The One Show when host Alex Jones was on maternity leave in 2016, and still returns to front it occasionally.
Michelle also presented BBC daytime show Council House Crackdown, and joined the Watchdog team in 2013.
She has also appeared in Crimewatch Roadshow, appeared as a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef, and was a guest on Channel 4 show Countdown.
If that wasn’t enough, she has also presented CBBC series All Over The Place since 2014, Fantasy Homes By The Sea and BBC One show Fake Britain with Matt Allwright.
She’s presented documentary series Fraud Squad since 2020.
What is Mavis and Michelle’s show Dirty Rotten Scammers?
She and her daughter have both been hacked and had their personal information used on multiple occasions.
They want to help people find out basic measures they can to protect themselves online.
They meet with people who have been victims of online crime and find out how their personal information may have been compromised.
Last Updated on June 17, 2022 by 247 News Around The World
