Ben Shephard was overcome with emotion during the latest episode of This Morning.
A man with dementia delivered a piano performance so beautiful that it rendered the host an “emotional wreck”, with the ITV daytime show presenter gushing over the musician’s talent.
Channel 4’s The Piano returned on Sunday evening, with 80-year-old Duncan mesmerising an awe-inspired crowd at Manchester Piccadilly, in front of his adoring wife of over 40 years — Fran.
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Playing the song he’s dedicated to his soulmate with skill and elegance, the consummate artist produced a showing that melted his doting partner’s heart, with Fran saying: “It feels part of us now, I feel love when I hear it.”
The beautiful piano playing caught the attention of Claudia Winkelman, who told judges Mika and Lang Lang, who hold the power to put contestants through to the finale: “He is going to the concert, it’s not a debate. What are we, if we’re not putting that on the stage?”
Stunned by what he’d witnessed on his television screen, Ben welcomed the pianist onto his show with open arms. Professing: “When Cat [Deeley] and I were discussing this show on Sunday night, we were talking about what emotional wrecks we were having watched you play Duncan. You were amazing.”
Blown away by the music on display, the presenter asked whether his guest was nervous about his performance, to which he responded: “I take it in my stride. I love the experience of having a crowd around me. It’s the most wonderful feeling.”
Stunned by the romantic tale, Kat addressed Fran, saying: “Tell me about how you feel. I went weak at the knees, listening to ‘Fran’s Theme’, so goodness knows what you did.
Duncan’s doting partner replied: “It was amazing when he first played it for me. I thought it was so beautiful. It was the first time I’d ever had a piece of music played for me. It was incredibly romantic. Over the years, it’s become more and more relevant in our love.” She later added that it helps with his dementia. She beamed: “It’s a healing tool. The piano is an integral part of who he is. Music has the ability to bridge over fragmented thoughts and memories. It’s magical.”
Duncan added: “We’re a pair of softies. We can’t do anything about that,” prompting Kat to release a huge: “Aw.”
Moving away from the love story, Ben attempted to dig deeper into Duncan’s personal story. He said: “I think everybody is compelled by this incredible talent that you have. You started playing the piano when you were four years old. Is that correct?”
Duncan answered in the affirmative, resulting in Ben quizzing him over why he never opted to play professionally, asking if it ever frustrated him.
The pianist responded: “Over the years, I had this strong feeling of, ‘Why the heck am I a solicitor’. I’d much rather have a ‘real-musician’ feeling about myself.”
To conclude the interview, Duncan blessed the presenters with a marvellous piano performance, leaving Kat with just one word: “Bravo.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
