Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando has been murdered outside her west London home, police said this afternoon.

The 38-year-old presenter was found by a friend with multiple injuries just before noon outside the doorway in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, south-west London.

She was taken by ambulance to Charing Cross Hospital where she was pronounced dead just after 1pm, according to Scotland Yard.

Detectives have launched a murder inquiry, a spokesman confirmed. It was still unclear whether she had been shot or knifed, according to early reports.

As well as leading the Crimewatch team, Ms Dando was among the team anchoring BBC's Six O'Clock News and until recently she presented its Holiday programme.

Dando was one of the golden girls of BBC television, but after seven years touring the world's holiday destinations, she had planned to scale down her contribution to the Holiday programme and wed gynaecologist Alan Farthing.

She had also announced her intention to step down from presenting the relaunched Six O'Clock News, but was to contribute to factual programming.

She is the cover girl of the current Radio Times, clad in a sexy leather jumpsuit standing in front of an Aston Martin car to mark the new series of Antiques Inspectors, which she was to present.

Early reports suggested that the popular BBC TV presenter had been stabbed but there were other reports that she had been shot.

Police declined to formally identify the body, which had serious head injuries, because her next of kin had not been informed.

Detectives were at the scene after being contacted by the ambulance service. A white man in his late thirties was reportedly seen running from the scene clutching a mobile phone.

Miss Dando took over from Carol Vorderman in the BBC1 antiques show which started a new series last night.

Detectives said today it was too early to say what the motive was for the attack.

But the presenter told police officers earlier this year at a reception to mark the 10th anniversary of Crimewatch that she had been concerned about her personal safety before taking on the job. Ms Dando was born and raised in Weston-super-Mare.

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