I TOOK the saddest of telephone calls this morning, informing me that BBC broadcaster Ali Brownlee – “the voice of the Boro” – had died.

It was revealed last November that Ali was battling bowel cancer and, sadly, he lost that fight last night (Sunday).

In recent years, Ali has become a friend as we sparred every morning on “The Headline Challenge” on BBC Tees.

Like everyone else who knew him, I came to appreciate Ali’s great gift as a broadcaster: the way he made people feel comfortable, his warmth and sincerity, and his ability to talk about any subject and make it look easy.

His passion for the North-East – and Teesside in particular – was infectious and he made it come alive. He made walks along Saltburn beach with Benjamin the Labrador sound like a glimpse of heaven.

It is a testament to his popularity that fans of his beloved Middlesbrough Football Club remembered him at matches following the announcement of his illness, singing “Ali Brownlee – he’s one of our own” and lighting up their phones in tribute.

He’d been covering Middlesbrough on the radio since 1982, after a career in banking, and built up a rapport with the club and the fans that no one else could come close to matching.

Ali was one of the most polite and well-mannered men I ever met. When Boro fans paid their emotional tribute, he responded with typical humility: “I can’t thank you enough for the support – you make it bearable,” he tweeted.

Without fail, he would text me every “Fish and Chip Friday” to say thank you for the fun we’d had on the Headline Challenge.

The last text I received from him was on January 26. I’d sent him a message, telling him that, wherever I went, people asked: “How’s Ali doing?”

Ali replied: “That’s lovely to hear. Hope to catch up soon – love to your Mum x.”

One of my favourite memories is the time we went to Middlesbrough College to have a crash course in cooking so we could prepare a meal for our mums for Mothers’ Day. Ali was a much better at commentating than cooking but what a laugh we had.

I knew that his treatment hadn’t been going well and that he’d been very ill with an infection over Christmas but we all hoped that his natural positivity and love of life would help him pull through.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be and - like many, many others – I’ll miss him greatly.

My thoughts are with his wife Wendy and the rest of his family.