Emma Britton, the former local radio presenter who became a familiar voice in Somerset and Bristol, died peacefully on Saturday at Musgrove Park Hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. She was 52.

Her family said they were heartbroken and thanked people for the love and care shown to her in recent months. They said they would celebrate her life in the way she wanted, adding that she had helped many families with the same grace and compassion she brought to her own work as a celebrant.

Britton’s death closes the final chapter in a broadcasting career that began at Radio Somerset in 2007 and quickly made her one of the region’s best-known voices. She took over the breakfast show there in 2013, then moved to Radio Bristol in 2016, where she hosted for five years before going freelance in 2020. Alongside radio, she also became a celebrant, conducting weddings, funerals and other services for families across the area.

Her former colleagues and listeners remembered a presenter who combined warmth with deep local knowledge. Gareth Roberts said Britton was “quite simply the best of local radio” and described her as “a genuine, warm presenter who not only lived here in the West but who really cared about the communities in Somerset and Bristol with a passion that leaped out of the radio.” Andy Bennett said, “There is no way I would be doing this job if it wasn't for Emma.” He added that she was “just good with people and understood people,” and said listeners loved her.

Britton had spoken publicly about being diagnosed in April 2025 with incurable stage four lung cancer. She said she had never smoked or vaped, and said the cancer had been diagnosed as genetic. Last August, she said she had started taking a targeted therapy drug and returned to radio work on a freelance basis after beginning treatment. At the time, she said, “You can stay on the targeted therapy as long as it's working and some have lived on it for a number of years,” a remark that reflected both her realism and her determination to keep working.

The tension in Britton’s story was always there: a broadcaster diagnosed with a disease she did not expect, speaking candidly about treatment while still going back on air and continuing to serve families as a celebrant. Her death makes clear what those close to her already knew, that the illness she was battling was not one she was likely to overcome. What remains now is the farewell her family promised — a commemoration that, by their own account, will reflect the way she lived and the way she made others feel.

Her family said they were “so grateful for the love and care shown to her in recent months” and that they would remember her “with the grace and love she showed so many families in the same situation.” They added: “It's hard to comprehend just how many people she has helped so profoundly over the years.”