But behind closed doors, he was cutting corners financially, providing sub-standard coffins and DIY flowers to the bereaved, and funeral staff were refusing to work with him over unpaid bills.
Sky News has spoken to a celebrant who worked closely with Bush, 48, for several years. On Thursday, the funeral director pleaded guilty to 30 counts of preventing a lawful burial.
The woman, who we are calling Sarah, was contracted by him to lead funeral services.
She's agreed to speak anonymously - she still works in the funeral sector in Hull and says there are "repercussions" for any association with Bush.
During an hour-long interview, Sarah described Bush as "a bit of a cheeky chappy".
"We got on well," she says, describing the funeral director as "very polite, well-spoken, very empathetic and generally a nice guy".
"I think that's what makes everything that's happened since so disgusting."
But Sarah says she grew increasingly concerned at what was happening at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
"There'd been occasions where Bush's cheques had bounced," she says. "Or he paid me in cash, and several bearers had stopped working with him over unpaid bills."
"I even offered to help with his paperwork," she says, after Bush told her "he was feeling overwhelmed".
"He politely declined, for which I'm grateful," she adds.
Beyond how he treated colleagues, Sarah says she witnessed "things getting cheaper" at the funeral home, especially in the two years leading up to Bush's arrest.
Legacy's city centre premises on Hessle Road, where police discovered the remains of 30 bodies in March 2024, was starting to look "increasingly shabby".
Sarah describes its on-site chapel, where Bush offered to hold services for grieving families, as "very untidy".
"It was not the respectful, calm place you would have hoped for," she says.
"The order of service, for example, he was printing them himself and they were just on thin bits of folded A4 paper, rather than on good quality card."
"A number of florists had stopped working for him because he hadn't paid, so he started actually doing his own flower arranging," Sarah adds.
"On one occasion he'd had a deceased turned away from a local crematoria because the coffin was sub-standard.
"I believe he was making them up himself, almost like flat-pack furniture," Sarah says - while still charging families "the normal price".
Broken promises
Sarah described the last time she worked with Bush, several months before his arrest.
"He was just not himself and I didn't want to be associated with a funeral director that wasn't as professional," she explains.
The breaking point came during a service at the funeral home's on-site chapel when Bush didn't show up.
"I had to bring the deceased into the chapel myself," she says, shaking her head.
"He promised the family that they would be able to livestream the service for family members who weren't able to make it, but he didn't have that facility, and I ended up using my mobile phone to record it."
The music system "wasn't set up correctly" and, on this occasion, there were no flowers "to make the place look more appropriate to be holding a funeral".
"That was the last time I worked with him," she says.
She expressed her concerns to him over text message but never got a response.
'Did I bury the right person?'
Months later, along with stunned families, Sarah learnt what police had found at the site where she had led services.
"It was just unbelievable," she says. "I certainly didn't have any inkling. Financial? Yes. But everything else? No."
More than two years after his arrest, Bush admitted 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burials, relating to the remains found at his funeral home, as well as 30 counts of defrauding families.
There were four counts of fraud relating to mothers of babies lost during pregnancy, who had asked Bush to arrange the cremation of their unborn babies.
And he also admitted defrauding more than 50 families, relating to a large quantity of ashes found at the funeral home.
"Where did he think it was going to end? How was he going to dispose of all the bodies?" Sarah asks.
Describing it as a "nightmare", she adds: "I personally don't know [if] the burial that I did for him, whether I've actually buried the right person. And that's something that lives with me.
"So I can't believe how much it'll affect the families that have been involved."
A warning for very strong winds that could cause damage and travel disruption was issued for parts of the UK over the weekend.
The storm is set to bring damaging winds across northern parts of the UK later on Saturday and into Easter Sunday, with some disruptive snow possible as well in northwest Scotland.
Check for your latest forecast here
The Met Office said delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport were likely from 6pm on Saturday until midday Sunday for Scotland, Northern Ireland, North Wales and an area of northern England stretching from Liverpool to Newcastle.
It has issued a number of medium impact yellow severe weather warnings for wind across these areas.
Winds of up to 90mph - the strongest forecast - could be possible in western Scotland, with gusts of 70mph more widely.
Snow is also forecast, with a 12-hour yellow warning issued for northwest Scotland starting at 3pm on Saturday, with up to 5-10cm (2-4ins) possible in areas over 200m (656ft) in northern Scotland - with a small chance of 10-20cm (4-8ins).
Forecasters added that there was a chance of power cuts, with the potential to affect other services such as mobile phone coverage.
Dave is the fourth named weather system of the year and the name was chosen after being nominated for "my beloved husband who can snore three times louder than any storm".
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Met Office deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said the storm will form and rapidly deepen on Saturday as it approaches the UK from the west.
"By Saturday afternoon winds will strengthen significantly, with gusts of 60-70mph expected at times across parts of Scotland with the potential for gusts of 80-90mph in exposed coastal locations in Scotland. Gusts of 50-60mph are likely more widely in northern Britain," he said.
Blizzards are possible over the hills of northern Scotland as heavy snowfall of up to 10-20cm combines with strong winds.
Elsewhere, there will be heavy spells of rain as the system moves through eastwards across the UK, he said.
With the worst of the weather system a few days away, he advised those in the firing line to "prepare their property for the strong winds".
The Met Office has issued yellow alerts for wind across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the north of England on Saturday and Sunday, with a warning also in place for the Orkney and Shetland Islands on Sunday.
There is a divide between the north and south of the UK, as further south it will be "breezy" and "much drier", with "some good sunny spells, particularly on Sunday afternoon and at times on Monday", the forecaster added.
Very strong southerly winds are forecast for parts of Ireland on Saturday.
The 53-year-old, who hosted the Radio 2 breakfast show, had his contract terminated last Friday over an allegation relating to his "personal conduct".
It emerged the Metropolitan Police had launched an investigation into Mills in December 2016 over "allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy", said to have taken place between 1997 and 2000.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately decided "the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges", and the case was closed in May 2019, the police force added.
The BBC confirmed on Wednesday that the organisation was aware of the investigation in 2017, but dismissed him after receiving "new information" in recent weeks.
The broadcaster reported on Thursday that the corporation had sacked the presenter "after learning the alleged victim in the police investigation was under 16".
"It is not clear if BBC managers at the time of the investigation in 2017 knew the age - but current management only became aware in recent weeks and took action," it said.
Outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie said in a leaked recording of an internal staff call obtained by Sky News that new information had "quite recently" come to light, which made the decision the broadcaster needed to make "very clear".
"It has been a tough week with Scott Mills and it's been a real shock to the organisation," he said.
Rhodri Talfan Davies, who is replacing Mr Davie for an interim period, said on the call there are "lines and when individuals cross across the line, irrespective of the seniority or their profile, there are consequences".
On Wednesday Mills issued his first public statement since news broke of his dismissal.
"An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018," he said.
"As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.
"Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed seven years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter."
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Mills' final show before he was taken off-air by the BBC was on Tuesday 24 March.
He signed off by saying "back tomorrow", but the following day's show was presented by Gary Davies, who did not give a reason for Mills' absence.
Mills took over from Zoe Ball on Radio 2's breakfast show in 2025 after a long career at the BBC and regional radio. He was paid between £355,000 and £359,999.
Earlier on Wednesday, a BBC spokesperson said the corporation "spoke directly" with Mills before terminating his contract.
The statement went on: "The BBC has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards.
"Last year, following an independent culture review, we set out the behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC and we were clear action would be taken if these were not met."
Police have shut the northbound carriageway and are investigating the single-vehicle collision, which happened just before 5am on Thursday between junctions nine and 10.
The driver of the car, a 21-year-old man from London, has been arrested for causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, Sussex Police said.
The car left the main northbound carriageway during the incident, the force said.
One passenger, a 23-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. A 23-year-old man who was also a passenger is being treated in hospital for serious injuries.
"This is a tragic incident, and we are actively investigating the full circumstances of what happened," said Inspector Matt Wightwick.
Police said the woman's family has been informed and the northbound carriageway will remain closed while the vehicle is recovered and an investigation is carried out.
"It will be opened as soon as it is safe and practical to do so," Sussex Police said.
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The incident led to queues that were over four miles long and waits of more than an hour.
A diversion has been put in place, with National Highways advising drivers to exit the M23 at junction 10 and initially follow the A264 eastbound.
Abdul Shakoor was the sole survivor of the blaze, which claimed the life of his wife, Sabah Usmani, 44, in Barn Mead in Harlow, Essex, in October 2012.
The couple's sons Muneeb, nine, and Rayyan, six, died along with their 12-year-old sister, Hira, soon after the fire.
Their son Sohaib, 11, died in hospital the same day, while their three-year-old daughter, Maheen, died in hospital three days later.
Dr Shakoor, who worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, had tried desperately to raise the alarm and save his family.
Essex Police are treating the incident as murder, and their investigation, named Operation Shakespeare, has been running for almost 14 years.
The force said on Thursday it had received an anonymous letter which sets out "a number of details which we are very keen to progress".
Police said they need to speak to the person directly to be able to do this, and appealed for them to come forward.
Appealing for the author of the note to make contact, lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe said whoever wrote it "clearly want(s) Dr Shakoor to get justice for his family.
"The author references the 'nightmare' of having information but not feeling able to share it.
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Detective Chief Inspector Metcalfe told the individual they would "be treated fairly" and reminded them that their information "could be what leads to a person or people being held accountable for tearing the Shakoor family apart".
Detectives are still "committed to securing answers for Dr Shakoor", who "has lived for too long with questions over how he lost his family", she added.
In 2014, Coroner Caroline Beasley Murray returned an open conclusion in the case, saying there was not enough evidence to say the deaths were unlawful or an accident, as "not all of the pieces of the jigsaw are there yet".
Essex Police said the family were asleep at their terraced home at 1.40am when the fire took hold downstairs.
A silver Ford Focus car was set alight at the same time close to the house.