Veteran Canadian journalist and CTV News anchor Beverly Thomas has died of cancer at 61 after battling the disease for 23 years. 

CTV reported that Thomson passed away on Sunday morning, surrounded by loved ones. She leaves behind her husband, Rob, and her two children, Taylor and Robbie.

Thomson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and became an outspoken activist for the disease, leading fundraisers and raising awareness. 

Over her career spanning more than three decades, she became one of Canada’s most well-known broadcasters, famed for her interviews with prominent politicians, global personalities, and celebrities.

These included figures like Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and Donald Trump. Remarkably, she also interviewed Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield while he was on the International Space Station.

“Bev Thomson was a trusted voice to Canadians and a valued teammate to all of us at CTV News,” stated Richard Gray, the vice-president of news at Bell Media, which owns CTV.

Thomson, born on April 15, 1964, was most recognized for co-hosting Canada AM, CTV’s national morning show, from 2003 until the show concluded in 2016.

In October 2024, the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada honored Thomson with a lifetime achievement award in recognition of her distinguished career and accomplishments.

Beverly Thomson died of breast cancer at 61 after battling the disease for 23 years

Thomson received various awards for her outstanding career achievements and breast cancer activism

She also received the Order of Canada in 2019 for her contributions to the broadcasting industry and her work as a breast cancer activist. 

In 2009, she was appointed by Tom McGrath as the first Canadian National Ambassador for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

In 2006, she was presented with the Gemini Humanitarian Award for her advocacy work. 

Thomson began her career working at a small radio station in Newmarket, Ontario, a town just north of Toronto.

‘I thought I’d hit the big time,’ Thomson said of her first radio job at a 2015 TEDx talk at Queen’s University. 

‘It was at a small strip mall, underneath a laundromat, [the radio station] was not very good, and that was great because I was terrible. I don’t think anyone was listening. That’s not true, my dad was the lone listener. 

She then landed a job at another, larger radio station in Toronto before joining CTV as an on-air reporter. 

Her first time behind the anchor desk came as a surprise when CTV’s vice-president of news at the time unexpectedly told her she’d have to fill in for the regular anchor. 

Thomson began her career working at a small radio station before she eventually became co-host of Canada AM, CTV’s national morning program

Statements from Thomson’s friends and co-workers called her a good, kind and thoughtful friend and mentioned how bravely she fought cancer throughout her career on air

‘Our anchor didn’t show up, we need you now,’ she recalled him saying. 

‘In those days the newscast didn’t start until 6:30. It was 6:21 pm,’ she said. 

Thomson soon became a weekend anchor at CTV news Toronto before moving to Global News to anchor their flagship broadcast in 1997. 

In the year after her breast cancer diagnosis, she returned to CTV news in 2003 as co-host of Canada AM, where she would continue to work for the next 13 years until the show ended. 

She continued working at CTV after the show’s conclusion as a contributor to other programs and as an anchor on the CTV news channel. 

In a joint statement on social media, former ‘Canada AM’ personalities Jeff Hutcheson, Marci Ien and Seamus O’Regan called Thomson a ‘good and kind and thoughtful friend’ who bravely dealt with years of cancer treatment while on air. 

The statement also said Thomson, ‘could scrap with politicians and give as good as she got.

‘She fought (cancer) so hard, chin up. On tough mornings back then we’d always ask her what we could do, but we always knew the answer: get on with the job. So we did. We always carried each other.’