Tributes paid to TV-am host Morris (From Salisbury Journal)

Tributes paid to TV-am host Morris

9:43am Wednesday 24th October 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

Colleagues including Lorraine Kelly have paid tribute to former TV-am presenter Mike Morris, who has died.

Moustached Morris was the main male host of the ITV breakfast programme Good Morning Britain in the late 1980s after initially being introduced as a sports presenter.

He was also well-known to viewers as a host of Yorkshire Television's Calendar programme.

Kelly said Morris - who was in his mid 60s - made presenting "look easy", adding: "Mike was a delightful man, he was such a generous presenter - he really was brilliant."

Anne Diamond, who shared a sofa with him, said: "He was incredibly popular, I think, because he was just like the guy next door."

Morris began his career in journalism with the Surrey Comet, after graduating from Manchester University, then specialised in newspaper sports reporting. He went on to work for Thames TV and covered sport for TV-am at its launch in 1983.

During his time on the ITV morning programme he interviewed Nelson Mandela shortly after his release from prison and he was the last presenter heard on TV-am during the final programme at the end of 1992.

He is thought to have been suffering from cancer.