BBC Breakfast stars Sally Nugent and Jon Kay have paid a touching tribute to Doddie Weir.
The Scottish rugby hero sadly passed away aged 52 over the weekend and has been described as “the force of nature”.
He was diagnosed with motor neurone disease six years ago and was awarded an OBE after going on to raise millions through his My Name’5 Doddie foundation.
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During Monday’s (November 28) episode, host Jon said: “What a legacy. You were only with him at that foundation fundraising dinner a couple of weeks ago.
Sally replied: “We seen him about two weeks ago when he was clearly very, very frail.
“He’d been ill for a week or so but he was determined to be there.
“It was a fundraising dinner for his foundation which has raised millions of pounds for research into motor neurone disease and even though he was poorly, there was a twinkle in his eye and he was still making people laugh, he was still taking the Mickey out of me and teasing me and everyone else.
(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
“It was absolutely lovely to see him there. I’m so grateful we got to see him there and spent the evening altogether. It was very special.”
Sally and Jon are not the only ones who’ve paid tribute to Mr Weir.
The Prince and Princess of Wales said Weir’s “immense talent on the pitch as well as his tireless efforts to raise awareness of MND were an inspiration”.
“He will be hugely missed”, they tweeted, adding that he was a “hero”.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described Weir as “one of our nation’s sporting legends”. She tweeted: “This is so terribly sad.”
“The brave way he responded to MND surpassed anything ever achieved on the rugby pitch,” she added.
“He refused to let it dim his spirit and did so much to help others. My condolences to his loved ones.”
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “rest in peace” and all his family’s thoughts were with Weir’s family.
Rebus author Ian Rankin described father-of-three Weir’s death as “hellish news”.
He added: “He did so much to raise awareness of MND – and also raised a lot of money for charity after his diagnosis. Rest easy, Big Man.”
BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One from 6am
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
