Widow's tribute at Jameson funeral

The widow of veteran broadcaster and former Fleet Street editor Derek Jameson paid tribute to an "incredible character" at his funeral service today.

The final journey for Jameson, 82, who had a heart attack at his home on September 12, was by Victorian horse-drawn carriage which took his casket in a procession through his home town of Worthing, West Sussex.

The carriage, which was adorned with flowers spelling out Derek, travelled to the town's Offington Park Methodist Church where the funeral service took pace.

His coffin was carried into the church where he was a regular attender by his children and other family members.

During the simple service, attended by family and friends, his widow Ellen spoke of her happy marriage. Describing her husband, she said: "He was an incredible character, I never forgot Derek was an extraordinary man and a one-off.

"He is the perfect example of a man who lived life to the full."

She added: "Derek was a real softie and that hard shell of a newspaperman hid a heart of gold; he often cried when watching the news or Animal Planet.

"Derek could truly claim to have been there, done that and written the slogans on the T-shirts of life."

After a career in journalism, Jameson became a celebrity thanks to his BBC television series such as Do They Mean Us? and his popular breakfast show on Radio 2.

He went on to present a chat show for six years with his wife, establishing the largest late night radio audience in Europe.