ITV News star Tom Bradby ‘devastated’ as he pays tribute to late co-star after tragic death
ITV News star Tom Bradby revealed he is ‘devastated’ as he paid tribute to late co-star Emily Morgan after her tragic death.
It was announced on Saturday that the top ITV News journalist had passed away aged just 45 after a short battle with lung cancer.
Emily was the network’s Health and Science Editor and Tom, 56, paid tribute to his longtime colleague on Tuesday.
The News at Ten anchor spoke over a montage of Emily’s work, which included her incredible coverage during the Covid pandemic as well as meeting Prime Ministers and members of the public during her career.
Tom said: “She will be familiar to many, if not all of you. As our health editor, Emily Morgan became a household name during the dark days of the pandemic.
“If the sheer volume of time spent on Covid wards exposed her to a degree of risk, she was always clear as to why she was doing it.”
He continued: “Over more than a decade, her reporting on health and politics and much else besides was marked out by its clarity, its style, its charisma, compassion and basic humanity.
“She actually began her career as a producer working behind the scenes. For five years at Westminster we worked together everyday as we criss-crossed the globe on planes, trains and automobiles after Blair and Brown and Cameron and many others besides.
“She was brilliant at her job, it’s true. But she was also incredibly funny and completely irreverent.”
Tom then recalled: “I once persuaded our editor to send us across Canada by train with cameraman Rob Turner to make a film on how the Canadian’s cut the deficit.
“Emily referred to this ever afterwards, in front of the senior management, as our holiday in Canada with Rob.”
As pictures of Emily with her husband and two children then appeared, Tom said: “Like many a friendship born at work, it was full of the talk of the joys of home. We watched her fall in love, get married, have two wonderful daughters.
“She must have had her faults, we all do. But we didn’t see them. In the 33 years I have been here I am not sure I have witnessed too many people more popular in this newsroom.”
He concluded: “We are devastated because we really loved her and if you had known her, you would have too.”
His touching tribute comes after ITV News anchor Geraint Vincent fought back tears on Saturday night as he also paid tribute to Emily following the news of her untimely death.