Ben Fordham breaks down in tears on 2GB radio over family death

In a heartbreaking piece of radio, 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham broke down live on air this morning over the death of a family member.

Ben Fordham broke down in tears on 2GB this morning as he announced his father-in-law had died.

“I wanted to share with you some personal news, and that is that my wife Jodie’s dad, Ross, passed away on Tuesday night,” the Sydney breakfast radio personality said.

“Ross has been battling cancer for a number of years, it’s been really bad for a few months, and in the last few weeks he’s been in palliative care and he’s been looked after tremendously.

“He’s had the opportunity to say his goodbyes, we’ve all been in there to say goodbyes, including all of the grandchildren.”

Ben Fordham and Jodie Speers with their kids Freddie, Pearl and Goldie. Picture: Tim Hunter

In a particularly heartbreaking piece of radio, Fordham struggled to speak as he recalled his wife, Channel 7 newsreader Jodie Speers, returning home on Tuesday afternoon after visiting her dad.

“It was clear from the tears streaming down her face that he didn’t have long to go,” Fordham said. “My children were amazing … my daughter, Pearl, ran up to Jodie and gave her a massive hug. My little girl, Goldie, who’s only a baby, she knew what was going on, she started saying ‘papa’ which is what they call him.”

Fordham described Ross as a “great bloke” and explained that his father-in-law was a structural engineer who worked on the cauldron at the Sydney Olympics which infamously malfunctioned during the opening ceremony.

“Ross always assured me that was not his part of the team, that was the mechanical part of the team and he reckons he knew all along that it was going to be a long shot for that thing to work,” Fordham said.

As he ended the emotional segment, the 2GB host said: “Ross, we love you mate, and thank you very much for being a great father in law to me.”

Jodie Speers shared this photo of her dad, Ross Speers.

RELATED: Kyle and Jackie O dominate Ben Fordham in radio ratings

The sad news of Ross Speers’ death comes after Fordham lost his own dad, John Fordham, in 2019.

John, who was a celebrity agent, died after a lengthy battle with throat cancer.

Speaking to Sky News last October, Fordham revealed what he had learned about life from his father.

“The big lesson that I got out of dad, as far as his last few years, we were sitting down having lunch and he’d occasionally have these conversations where he’d say, ‘you don’t want to leave anything unsaid’”, Fordham told Chris Smith.

“He was always very open about how much he loved us, and how much respect he had for all of us.

“I said one day, ‘if you love us all that much, why don’t you fly us all to Hawaii for a holiday?’ “And he did. He flew the entire family.

“I look back on things like that and go, you know what, he didn’t die wondering. He took all those opportunities. He didn’t miss out on anything.”

Ben Fordham with his dad John. Picture Instagram