Scots TV presenter Lynne Faulds Wood dies aged 72

Former BBC Watchdog presenter and cancer campaigner Lynn Faulds Wood has died at the age of 72

TV presenter and journalist Lynn Faulds Wood has died at the age of 72, following a “massive stroke”.

A statement from her family said Faulds Wood, who was born in Glasgow, died peacefully on Friday, “having suffered a massive stroke last night and a subsequent bleed on the brain”.

Lynn, also a cancer campaigner, hosted the BBC programme Watchdog alongside her husband, John Stapleton, for eight years.

John and her son Nick were with her when she died.

BBC 5 Live’s Nicky Campbell paid a glowing tribute to the presenter.

He said: “I’m so sad to hear about the death of the brilliant campaigning journalist and fearless consumer champion Lynn Faulds Wood. She was the real thing. She cared genuinely and passionately about people and their rights. When I joined Watchdog, hers was the legacy we all aspired to. RIP.”

I’m so sad to hear about the death of the brilliant campaigning journalist and fearless consumer champion Lynn Faulds Wood. She was the real thing. She cared genuinely and passionately about people and their rights.When I joined Watchdog hers was the legacy we all aspired to. RIP

— Nicky Campbell (@NickyAACampbell) April 24, 2020

Faulds Wood grew up near Loch Lomond and began her career working on campaigns for newspapers including the Daily Mail and The Sun. She then worked in breakfast TV, before presenting Watchdog.

While she worked on the consumer investigation programme, she was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer.

She then conducted investigations on the ITV show World In Action, which helped to create the world’s first evidence-based guide to symptoms of bowel cancer.

In 2016, she was nominated for an MBE after she chaired a government review into the UK’s system for the recall of dangerous products. She famously rejected the accolade, saying she would be a “hypocrite” to accept the award for her work on consumer safety.