Judith Chalmers, the broadcaster who became one of British television’s best-known travel presenters, has died aged 90. Her family said on Friday that she died peacefully at home on Thursday evening, surrounded by her family.

Chalmers had been living with Alzheimer's in her final years, and her health had been declining for some time. In recent weeks, she had become seriously ill. She leaves behind her husband, former sports commentator Neil Durden-Smith, and their two children.

Born in Gatley, Cheshire, Chalmers began working for the at 13, a start that led to a career spanning radio and television. In the 1960s, she presented Radio programmes Family Favourites and Woman's Hour before later moving to ITV, where she hosted the daytime magazine show Good Afternoon.

She became especially familiar to viewers when she began presenting Wish You Were Here...? in 1974. The ITV series ran as 30-minute shows about travel and holidays, and Chalmers fronted it until 2003. For many viewers, it was the programme that defined her career and made her a household name.

Her family’s announcement on Friday confirmed the end of a long decline that had become more visible in recent weeks. Chalmers was appointed an OBE in 1994, recognition of a broadcasting career that lasted decades and took her from a childhood job at the to one of the most recognisable travel shows on British television.

What remains is the imprint she left on an era of broadcasting when travel television could make viewers feel they were being shown the world by a trusted companion. Chalmers did that for years, and her family said she spent her final evening at home, with the people closest to her.