Dianne Oxberry: Woman to run London Marathon in memory of presenter

Mandy Winckworth hopes to raise awareness of ovarian cancer by competing in her first marathon

A former studio director at BBC North West Tonight is set to run the London Marathon in memory of her "dear friend and lovely colleague" Dianne Oxberry.

The TV presenter died at the age of 51 from ovarian cancer in January 2019.

Mandy Winckworth is taking part in the marathon in April for the Dianne Oxberry Trust, which was set up shortly after the presenter's death.

She said she wanted to raise funds "to increase awareness of the silent killer that is ovarian cancer".

"Between [Dianne's] diagnosis and her death, it was a matter of weeks," Ms Winkworth said.

"The trust really wants to prevent that from happening to other families. They want people to be able to spend much more time with their loved ones by getting a really early diagnosis."

She added that the trust wanted "people to be aware of the symptoms, which are often symptoms of other things - more benign things - like bloating, feeling bloated, loss of appetite and wanting to go to the toilet more often".

"If you're worried about anything just don't hesitate and go and get it checked out."

Dianne Oxberry was BBC North West Tonight's weather presenter for more than 20 years

Ms Winckworth said she "had a lot of fun times" with the presenter while they worked together on BBC North West Tonight, including one of her fondest memories at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park.

"Dianne was a wonderful addition to our coverage there," she said.

"She absolutely loved it and people loved her and we had some great fun."

Ms Winckworth, who will also be running in support of her friend Nancy who has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, took part in her first 10K race in May 2019.

She formed part of a BBC team, which pounded the streets during the Great Manchester Run to raise money for the newly-formed trust.

Since then, she has developed a love of running with the help of Styal Running Club.

"I'm lucky enough to have friends around me and some lovely running club friends are coming down to support me so that will help enormously," she said.

"I'm told the atmosphere there is absolutely amazing and carries you through all the bad moments, which I'm sure there'll be some."

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