Going for Gold host Henry Kelly dead at 78
Respected broadcaster Henry Kelly passed away after a "period of ill health".
‘Going for Gold’ and ‘Game for a Laugh’ host Henry Kelly has died, at the age of 78.
The Irish radio and TV star died “peacefully” after a “period of ill health” on Tuesday (25.02.25), his family confirmed.
A statement read: "Henry will be sorely missed by his friends and family, including his partner Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry's daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie.”
Kelly began his career as a journalist at The Irish Times and became the paper’s Northern Editor at the height of Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1970.
In 1976, he moved to London and became a presenter on BBC Radio 4's ‘The World Tonight’ programme.
He embarked on a career in showbiz in the 1980s, becoming a household name as the co-presenter on ITV’s prime-time light entertainment show ‘Game for a Laugh’ 1981.
After his stint on ‘Game for a Laugh’ ended in 1983, Kelly joined the now-defunct TV-am and became the host of the Saturday edition of ‘Good Morning Britain’ with Toni Arthur.
He left TV-am in 1987, and, from 1987 to 1996, he presented the hit lunchtime television quiz game show ‘Going for Gold’ on BBC1.
On the airwaves, Kelly also hosted Classic FM’s daily breakfast show between 1992 and 2003.
In 2003, he took on the Drivetime slot on London’s LBC 97.3.
The following year, he was declared bankrupt.
The broadcaster also played a quiz show host in the final two episodes of the late Victoria Wood’s iconic sitcom ‘dinnerladies’ in 2000.
Kelly and comedienne Wood – who died in 2016, at the age of 62 – had previously worked together on her ‘80s sketch series ‘Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV’.
TV presenter and comedian Mark Dolan is among those to pay tribute to Kelly.
He wrote on X: "The amazing Henry Kelly has died. I met him as a child, when I got my first glimpse of live radio, whilst he was at LBC in Gough Square.
"He was generous, funny, clever and wise. And very strict about how his Guinness was poured! RIP total legend."
