Sarah Greene has been in the spotlight for decades, and in that time she’s had her fair share of tragedies – including the death of her husband and her mother, and a helicopter crash that almost cost her her life.

The presenter – who co-hosts The Finish Line alongside Roman Kemp – shot to fame in the 1980s on Blue Peter. She later hosted Going Live! alongside Phillip Schofield.

Now a regular on the BBC, 67-year-old Sarah hides a lot of tragedy behind her TV smile…

Sarah Greene’s helicopter crash

Back in 1988, Sarah Greene and her husband Mike Smith were involved in a near-fatal helicopter crash.

Mike bought the helicopter after learning to fly seven months previously. He was flying the chopper when it came down in Gloucestershire, crashing into trees close to where he was attempting to land.

The plane circled and the next moment it fell and we heard a crash.

Sarah broke both her legs and an arm in the crash. Mike, meanwhile, suffered a broken back and ankle. Both were in hospital for four weeks.

Maggie McMillan – whose husband helped pull the couple from the wreckage – said the accident happened very quickly.

“We were watching it arrive. The plane circled and the next moment it fell and we heard a crash,” she told the BBC. “My husband helped to take Sarah and Mike from the actual aircraft – but they were conscious,” she added.

Despite Sarah’s legs still being in plaster, she returned to Going Live! alongside Schofield weeks later. And it seems the accident also prompted Mike to propose to Sarah. They wed the following year.

Death of her mum three weeks after cancer diagnosis

In 2010, Sarah lost her beloved mum to ovarian cancer. It came less than a month after she was diagnosed.

In a letter to the Stroud Times a couple of years ago, Sarah urged readers to press for further awareness about the condition. She reflected on how if her mother had known more about symptoms, Marjie – an actress – may have lived longer.

Sarah wrote in February 2022: “Women are being failed as the awareness crisis in ovarian cancer deepens. Symptoms of ovarian cancer are being ignored – both by those experiencing them and their GPs.”

She added: “In 2010 my mother, the actress Marjie Lawrence, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer just three weeks before she died. Had we and her doctors been aware of the symptoms, Marjie might be alive today.

“If diagnosed at the earliest stage, nine in 10 women will survive. But two thirds of women are diagnosed late, when the cancer is harder to treat.”

Death of Mike Smith – husband of Sarah Greene

Further heartache came for Sarah in 2014, when she lost her beloved husband, Radio 1 DJ Mike Smith.

After marrying in 1989, Sarah and Mike enjoyed many happy years together. But Mike sadly passed away in 2014 due to complications following heart surgery. He was aged 59.

The couple – who were married for 25 years – never had children. In a statement at the time, Sarah thanked the staff at the hospital where her husband died for their care and compassion.

It was claimed at the time that Mike kept his health problems secret from his BBC presenting pals, including Noel Edmonds. As a result, his death came as a total shock. A source at the time commented: “Mike’s death was a shock for Noel. He saw him only six or seven months ago and he looked all right to him then.”

However, speaking about the lasting impact Mike continues to make on her life, Sarah has revealed that she’s convinced he had a hand in her meeting her new love.

She said on a podcast: “I sort of know Mike is pulling so many strings in my life.”