‘This show celebrates his remarkable life’: GMB viewers are left in tears as Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid pay tribute to Captain Tom and declare ‘he put the great in Great Britain’
Good Morning Britain viewers were moved to tears on Wednesday, when the show paid tribute to late war hero Captain Tom Moore.
Hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid dedicated the breakfast show to the veteran who captured the heart of the nation during the first lockdown last year when he raised huge amounts of money to help the NHS.
The show opened with Piers, 55, noting how Captain Tom, who died in hospital on Tuesday aged 100 after contracting pneumonia and testing positive for Covid-19, put the ‘great in Great Britain’ and inspired the nation.
He said: ‘A shining light in the darkest of times. We celebrate this remarkable man’s remarkable life’, while Susanna, 50, added: ‘I’s our honour to be able to do so.’
Opening the tribute that captured viewers’ hearts, Piers started by stating: ‘Captain Tom inspired us all and this morning our show is dedicated to him.’
Susanna continued: ‘He put the great into Great Britain. Today we remember the courage and determination of a man who captured the hearts of young and old. From humble beginnings, the war veteran that became a symbol of hope’.
Piers went on: ‘A shining light in the darkest of times. We celebrate this remarkable man’s remarkable life’, while Susanna added: ‘I’s our honour to be able to do so.’
Viewers flooded Twitter with devoted and emotional messages reading: ‘Half 8 and I’m sat crying watching remembering Captain Tom on good morning Britain…
‘Thank you GMB for this amazing dedication to Captain Tom. What an amazing man. Today is a sad day but thanks to this wonderful man tomorrow will be a better day…
‘Good Morning Britain, you have done an amazing tribute to Sir Captain Tom, I was shocked that trolls could do so much damage to such an honest & lovely family, that should be ashamed of themselves…
‘Watching Captain Tom on #goodmorningbritain interview with @piersmorgan talking about his family & grandchildren, has brought me to tears…
‘RIP what a beautiful soul… I didn’t wake up thinking I’d be spending the morning crying! Sir Captain Tom was such an amazing man. I hope he gets a statue as a big reminder of what he achieved and how grateful we are to him.’
It came after his daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira hailed the last year of Sir Tom’s life as ‘nothing short of remarkable’, adding: ‘He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of’.
Heartache: Viewers flooded Twitter with devoted and emotional messages reading: ‘Half 8 and I’m sat crying watching remembering Captain Tom on good morning Britain’
Sir Tom had been taken to hospital on Sunday after being treated for pneumonia for some time and testing positive for coronavirus last week.
His family praised the care he had received from the NHS and said they had been able to spend time with him in his final hours.
In a statement, Hannah and Lucy said: ‘We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime.
‘We spent hours chatting to him, reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.
‘The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of.
‘Whilst he’d been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever.’
Buckingham Palace said the Queen and the royal family’s thoughts are with Captain Sir Tom Moore’s family and she is sending a private message of condolence.
Sir Tom’s fundraising efforts raised more than £32 million for the NHS, walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday during the first national lockdown in April.
The veteran set out to raise £1,000 from his charity challenge but his efforts struck a chord with the nation, and praise and donations flooded in.