Journalist Kostas Hardavellas passed away, yesterday, Tuesday, at the age of 79.
A veteran of print and broadcast journalism, he worked for decades in newspapers, particularly Ta Nea, and gained prominence on television with the iconic programme Oi Reporters on ERT during the 1980s. He co-hosted the show alongside Giorgos Lianis and Yiannis Dimaras. His wife, Maria Panagopoulou, shared a heartfelt message on social media:
“You left this life as you lived it: a winner! Rest now, near the people life took from you when you were a child and always longed for—your mother Calypso and father Konstantinos. Until we meet again, my Giant… ‘and in the next life, from the beginning.'”
A distinguished career
Born in Piraeus in 1945, Hardavellas began his journalism career at Ethnos and later joined Ta Nea, focusing on general news reporting.
He made his television debut in the late 1970s, establishing himself in the 1980s with Oi Reporters. The show, briefly featuring Kostas Resvanis, became a landmark of Greek television with its investigative reporting and interviews, both domestic and international.
In the 1990s, Hardavellas joined Mega Channel, where he hosted investigative programmes like 60 Minutes Without Editing and Report in the Fog, pioneering in-depth explorations of social and political issues. He continued his career in subsequent decades, presenting news programmes on ANT1, ET1, Alter, and other channels.
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A personal battle
Hardavellas courageously fought cancer, an experience he documented in a book. This March, his wife revealed on a TV programme that he had lost his voice.
“We were very concerned because Kostas had fought a tough battle with cancer 15 years ago. We conducted numerous tests and continue to do so. It turned out to be an issue with his vocal cords, which requires effort, patience, and complete vocal rest, not even whispering,” she said.
He himself attributed his cancer to the stress of television ratings:
“I’m exhausted after 50 years of waking up every morning with a knife to my throat, waiting to see what my viewing figures were. People tell me they’re happy with 20%, but in the past, with Oi Reporters, we reached 70%. Back then, traffic on the streets would come to a standstill,” he said, adding: “Don’t hang your life on ratings numbers. I developed cancer from the anxiety over viewing ratings.”
Kostas Hardavelas did not pass away from cancer, as he had “defeated” it following a battle he fought 10 years ago, his wife Maria Panagopoulou clarified during a conversation on Wednesday morning with Stamatina Tsimtsili.
Relaying what Hardavelas’ wife shared from the hospital, where she was handling formalities following the journalist’s death at the age of 79 on Tuesday, Stamatina Tsimtsili stated: “Kostas Hardavelas did not pass away from cancer; it was a battle he managed to win.”
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Source: Proto Thema
