Blue Peter star Diane Louise Jordan has been left devastated after her violinist husband Giles Broadbent died aged 51.

The musician, who formed part of the family quartet Stringfever along with his brothers Ralph and Neal and his cousin Graham, had suffered a short illness in the lead-up to his death.

His group was best known for its version of Ravel’s Bolero, which famously featured all four members attempting to play one cello at the same time, and went viral on YouTube with over a million views.

A statement released by the group said: “Although Giles had not been well recently, we as a family are still in shock at his passing.

“The band will be taking a break whilst we make funeral arrangements.”

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The late violinist had been in a relationship with Diane for 17 years and married to her for the last 16. The pair had no biological children but adopted Diane’s niece Justine after her sister’s sudden death from a virus.

Giles’ career had taken him to some of the most iconic venues around the world, from the Opera House in Mumbai, India, to the Beijing Music Festival in the Chinese capital.

Playing over 1,000 shows during their career, Stringfever also made notable appearances on BBC Radio 2.

Meanwhile, Giles had also led orchestras for a number of West End shows in London, including Sunset Boulevard, My Fair Lady and Phantom of the Opera.

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Diane also had a successful career, after becoming the first-ever black presenter on Blue Peter when she joined back in 1990.

Her acting career had to be put on hold after her sister died suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving her responsible for caring for the little girl she left behind.

She told SheerLuxe at the time: “I became a mother overnight – no morning sickness, no nine months to think about it. One day I was on tour with a production of The Pied Piper, the next I had a daughter.”

Fortunately, at around the same time, the Blue Peter presenting role came up, and she persevered.

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The star, who also presents Songs of Praise, spoke out about the love she had for her late husband last year.

“We share similar values, even though we’re quite different people,” she told the aforementioned publication.

“I’m much more of an introvert and Giles loves the house to be busy and full of people. He’s also a musician, so he’s very expressive too.”

Giles is survived by Diane, the couple’s adopted daughter Justine and their three grandchildren.

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