ITV News’ Rageh Omaar has been targeted by a vile baby hoax following his on-air health scare.
The respected newsreader suffered what was feared to be a mini stroke during a live broadcast last Friday (April 26), a bogus social media profile popped up, masquerading as Omaar and fooling followers with phony posts.
A sham Instagram account, which began its deceitful activity on Monday (April 29), has been posting fraudulent statements pretending to be from Mr Omaar, even stooping so low as to share a fake pregnancy announcement to its handful of followers.
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“Some happy news about me,” the imposter wrote alongside a sonogram snap. “As shocked as I am I’m happy to announce me and my wife are having baby number 4. We can’t wait to meet you. The happy news in all this. Daddy has a reason to get better.”
(Image: ITV)
Mr Omaar hasn’t updated his official X, formerly known as Twitter, since the incident, and doesn’t seem to have an official Instagram presence. Daily Star has reached out to his representives for a comment,
The journalist is reportedly on the mend at home after last week’s health fright. Friends relayed on Monday that he’s recovering well from the scary moment that left ITV’s News At Ten viewers deeply concerned. Fans were left with a sense of unease when they noticed the presenter slurring his speech and his left eye sagging towards the end of the segment.
(Image: ITV)
Quickly picking up on signs of potential trouble, one viewer – a nurse – contacted ITV chiefs directly to stress that Omaar needed medical attention promptly. The subsequent course of action taken by ITV has since come under scrutiny, with questions about why Omaar wasn’t immediately taken off air. “There are big questions about why he was allowed to go on air. Perhaps they thought, ‘He is a pro and the adrenaline will kick in when he gets on air’,” shared an insider with The Times.
The same source offered additional insights suggesting, “Even if you think that he was just having an off day, you don’t need a medical degree to see that it was clear when you watched that something was seriously wrong.”
(Image: Instagram)
They added: “It is true that they were trying to get him to come off air but someone needs to be able overrule the presenters when there is a medical emergency. The worry is that because he refused to get out of the chair and is taking responsibility for the situation himself, nothing will be done. That’s why people are upset.”
Adding fuel to the fire, a former ITN executive has called for an inquiry into the decision to let Omaar anchor News At Ten, particularly when another presenter could have easily been brought in. “I can’t imagine what they were thinking, Chris Ship has presented the news loads of times and he was sitting there at the top of the programme covering a royal story about Charles. They should have just switched him in” they voiced their disapproval.
(Image: PA Archive)
ITV has completely denied any knowledge of Mr Omaar’s health woes before his unsettling 10 pm News appearance. Following this on-air episode, Omaar took a moment to extend his deepest gratitude to his followers.
He mentioned: “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News, and our viewers who expressed concern” – he scribbled in a heartfelt note, further iterating his resilience to wrap up the program despite possible signs of a mini-stroke.
(Image: Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)
ITV immediately pulled down the repeat episode from its ITV+1 service that night, stating the channel was “temporarily unavailable to bring you our +1 service.” The network also voiced out: “We are wishing Rageh a speedy recovery and look forward to him being back on screen when he feels ready.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
