Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway were absent from the Good Morning Britain studio on Monday morning (December 12).
The presenters can normally be seen fronting the ITV daytime show from the comfort of their studio desks every weekday from 6am until 9am, but things were rather different at the start of this week.
That’s because the hosts had headed out on location to Whiston Hospital in Preston to present a “very special” edition of the show which shed light on the pressures faced by NHS workers during the winter.
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Richard and Kate appeared outside the hospital next to ambulances as they introduced the show, with Mr Madeley joking about how cold it was.
(Image: ITV)
He said: “A very warm good morning on a very freezing morning,” prompting Kate to agree: “It’s so cold!”
Richard went on: “Welcome to our very special programme. We’re live from the NHS frontline at Whiston Hospital for the next three hours.
“We’ll be bringing you unprecedented access to this busy, working hospital – it’s one of the biggest in the north-west – just to see what’s really happening in our urgent care centres when you need them the most.
(Image: ITV)
“Whiston of course is the busiest A&E hospital in Cheshire and Merseyside, and like many other hospitals across the country, it is facing massive pressures.”
The presenter added: “This weekend just gone, and I’m using their words now, was ‘the most challenging of the year so far’, and that’s due obviously to the high numbers of sick people coming through the doors needing care, maybe a bed, in a hospital that is already ‘chokka’ full.”
Ranvir Singh anchored the show from the studio as Richard and Kate spoke to staff inside the hospital to get insight into their crucial work and the various issues they’re having to deal with.
(Image: ITV)
With cancer referrals are up 25 per cent, Garraway spoke to cancer patient Brian Dunn, who told the host his diagnosis was like “being hit by a train”.
GMB’s Dr Amir Khan chatted to cancer services manager Patt Gillis to find out cancer care has changed in the 30 years since Patt first became a nurse.
The hospital was clearly glad to host the show as its Twitter account posted: “We’ve let the @GMB cameras in today to show just how challenging things are across the NHS already this winter. Thank you to all our patients for the kindness and support you are showing to our staff, we truly appreciate it.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
