Graham Norton has paid tribute to his close friend Carrie Fisher tonight (January 25), nearly a month on from the actress's sad death late last year.
Speaking at the National Television Awards, Graham told Digital Spy how he felt after her death, having lost a close friend and a great guest on The Graham Norton Show.
"What's odd with Carrie is that she was one of the very few guests that I actually became friends with," he began. "I think there's a common misapprehension that I am friends with many of the people who come on the show, and I'm not.
"But with me and Carrie, our worlds collided and we knew each other very well for quite a long time and so, when she died, it was such a shock."
"I know she's gone," he added, "but it hasn't quite sunk in that she's not on planet earth anymore, particularly because she's so present. If you want to see her, you go on YouTube, you go to the movies, you get a DVD out. She will live on forever."
Carrie suffered a massive heart attack on a transatlantic flight back to LA before Christmas following a trip to London where she recorded another appearance on Graham's show, in what will now be her last interview, and Graham joined the wealth of celebrities sending well-wishes to the star when news of her critical condition broke.
What to Read Next
When she died a few days later, Graham again tweeted to say that he felt "numb".
"Unbelievable that such a bright funny loving spark could be extinguished," he continued. "Carrie Fisher you will be missed."
Graham was honoured with the Special Recognition Award at tonight's National Television Awards ceremony and praised for his extensive television career, showing highlights from The Graham Norton Show, Eurovision and even one of his earlier roles on Father Ted.
Speaking afterward, he told Digital Spy winning the award was "so overwhelming", adding that he was "so touched" by all of the celebrities who appeared in the recognition film, which included the likes of Julie Walters, Dolly Parton and Ed Sheeran.
The National Television Awards aired on ITV live from The O2 in London.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment and tech news? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.
Laurence Mozafari (he/him) is a multi-award winning journalist, editor, and presenter. A former Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy, Laurence previously held roles as the site's Editor, Deputy Editor, and Associate Editor focusing on news, social, and video. Laurence hosted the BBC Sounds podcast Obsessed with Peaky Blinders in 2019. He also hosts his own podcast production, Time of My Life, where he interviews fascinating elders about their life lessons, including Only Fools and Horses' Sir David Jason, Star Trek’s George Takei and Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh.
Laurence was named Editorial Director – Youth Audience at Reach in early 2025. Prior to joining Digital Spy, he was previously at Bauer Media working as Digital Editor of Heat magazine's website Heatworld.com, and has also worked at and written for Sky, NME, Q magazine, Grazia, Closer, FHM and dedicated careers website GoThinkBig. He secured a first-class BA journalism degree at Staffordshire University, along with several NCTJ qualifications, and now has 14 years' experience in digital publishing covering TV, movies, music, gaming, tech, showbiz, and travel.
Laurence has been a broadcasting contributor on television and radio, including KISS, Heat Radio, BBC Radio London, Radio 5 Live, and BBC Breakfast.
He is also a visiting lecturer at various universities teaching journalism, including City, University of London, Nottingham Trent, Staffordshire University and London Metropolitan. Laurence has won numerous awards in his journalism career, including the BSME Talent Award’s Best Deputy Editor, the PPA's 30 Under 30, and the New Editor and Editor of the Year at the AOP and BSMEs. He led Digital Spy to win PPA's Digital Content Team of the Year twice, along with the British Media Awards’ Brand of the Year in 2021.
Laurence joined the committee for the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2022 and was named vice-chair in 2025. He has since hosted panels with CEOs of Immediate Media and the Media Trust at the PPA Festival, as well as presenting his own radio show on Green Man Radio at Green Man Festival in 2022. Laurence is also a Brits voting academy member.
Laurence has been lucky enough to interview numerous celebrities, actors, and musicians throughout his career. Arnold Schwarzenegger loved his hair, Jimmy Carr loved his coat and Antonio Banderas gave a shout-out to his mum. Laurence has covered set visits for The Witcher on Netflix and Marvel’s Inhumans, he got Daisy Ridley to do a Chewbacca impression and loves Marvel, PlayStation, Glastonbury and craft beer. Linkedin
