Mrs Oxberry became a national name on BBC Radio 1 and went on to become the north west’s weather presenter in 1994, as well as fronting the Inside Out north west current affairs programme.

The mother-of-two died at the Christie hospital in Manchester on Thursday morning.

Her husband Ian Hindle paid tribute to his wife: “Dianne was an amazing wife and mother who embraced life to the full.

“She was an inspiration to all who knew and loved her but also to the people who watched and welcomed her into their homes each night as if she were part of their family too.

“She will leave a massive void in our lives but because of the remarkable person she was she will forever live on in our hearts.

“The children and I will miss her more than anyone can imagine.”

Sunderland-born Oxberry and her cameraman husband moved to Greater Manchester in 1993 after her run on BBC Radio 1 in London.

Mrs Oxberry, along with colleagues Annabel Tiffin and Roger Johnson, took part in a 100-mile relay walk for Children In Need.

Mrs Tiffin said: “This is an enormous shock for all of us. I can scarcely believe Dianne has died. She was loved by our viewers, by all of us at North West Tonight. My heart breaks for her family.”

Mr Johnson added : “We are heartbroken by Dianne’s death. It is almost impossible to comprehend. Dianne was North West Tonight. It’s hard to imagine the programme without her.

“Our thoughts are with Ian and all of Dianne’s family. We hope they will find some comfort in the knowledge so many people loved Dianne and will miss her terribly.”

In an emotional radio interview, Mr Johnson recalled when comedian Peter Kay invaded one of Mrs Oxberry’s weather forecasts by hugging her and telling her: “God love Dianne Oxberry – you made the sun shine for everybody!”

Aziz Rashid, head of BBC North West, said: “We are all devastated by this dreadful news. The coming days will be difficult but we will do our best to pay tribute to someone who meant so much to us all and made such an enormous contribution to broadcasting in the North West.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham tweeted: “What a terrible shock and what a loss to the North West. My sincere condolences to all the team and, of course, to Dianne’s family.”

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