Tributes were today paid to BBC presenter Jill Dando, who was murdered outside her London home.

Miss Dando, 37, was found by neighbours outside her house in Fulham and died in hospital at about 1pm yesterday.

A post mortem examination revealed she died from a single bullet wound to the head.

Chief Insp Terry Gardiner was on the Crimewatch programme she presented with Nick Ross.

The former head of Tendring CID, who is now based at Colchester, was last on the crime-busting series in February 1998 investigating the rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Harlow.

He was interviewed by Miss Dando on screen and worked with her to prepare the piece on the incident.

Mr Gardiner said today: "Although we were working on a case for the programme she was genuinely concerned about the teenage victim and how she was.

"She was a friendly outgoing person and what we saw on television was how she was."

Mr Gardiner has a signed photograph of Miss Dando in his office at the police station and was also given a Crimewatch pen for appearing on the programme twice.

Airport star Jeremy Spake, who lives in Great Bentley and who worked with Miss Dando on the BBC's Holiday programme, said today that she was "irreplacable".

Mr Spake also worked with Miss Dando on Children in Need. He said: "I just can't believe it. She was such a warm generous person. Broadcasting is a sad place without her."

Mr Spake said the production team at the Holiday programme were numb with shock after hearing the news yesterday.

He said: "You just can't imagine anyone attacking her as she was such a nice person. You rarely meet someone in life who is completely genuine."

Miss Dando was a patron of the Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients' Association and had a hole in the heart repaired by surgery when she was a child.

Stephanie Tyrer, the association co-ordinator for Tendring and Colchester, who met Miss Dando several times, said: "You would think because she was a star she wouldn't talk to people, but she wasn't like that.

"She had a laugh and joke - she had a damn good sense of humour."

Miss Tyrer, of Larksfield Crescent, Dovercourt, said: "She had her illness corrected as a child but she did know what we were going through and was a real staunch supporter."

Miss Tyrer said Harwich members will be sending a tribute to Miss Dando's funeral and planning a more permanent tribute later.

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