BBC Morning Live presenter Gethin Jones announced some sad news about former BBC presenter John Stapleton, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s
Gethin Jones shared some news about former BBC presenter John Stapleton during Monday’s show.
John, who has previously hosted GMTV as well as BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight, revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis last year.
However, it seems he has “taken a turn” after his son provided an update on Monday’s Morning Live.
As they introduced their guests, Helen Skelton started, “We have got Dr Punham, Louise Minchin, Gloria Hunniford, and Scam Interceptors’ Nick Stapleton is joining us on Zoom.”
Gethin quipped, “Me and Nick will be lucky to get a word in today with you.”
He went on, “It’s lovely to see you all. Nick, you should be with us. Actually, you were supposed to be up in Manchester last night for the Derby, Man City, Man United.
“You with your dad, both massive City fans, so happy this morning. But of course, John Stapleton, as we know him, legendary broadcaster, he’s taken a bit of a turn for the worse the last couple of days, so you wanted be home this weekend,” reports Wales Online.
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Nick responded, “Yeah, quite right. Unfortunately, Dad’s got a bit of a chest infection, and that can be pretty nasty if you’ve got Parkinson’s.
“And I just felt like I really needed to be there with him this weekend and get him some help. And thankfully, that is now in place, and I’m hopeful that, you know, he’ll be back on form pretty soon.”
Expressing his support, Gethin concluded, “Absolutely. Well, we send him all our love, of course.”
In October 2024, John and his son appeared in a short BBC film discussing the former broadcaster’s diagnosis and the challenges he has faced.
“Speaking is how I’ve earned my living for the best part of 50 years, and it’s very frustrating sometimes, particularly if people are constantly saying to you, ‘Sorry, what did you say?'” John explained.
“And you have to repeat yourself time and time and time again. I’m fairly pragmatic about the prospect of this getting worse. I try to remain positive because what’s the point of not being (positive).”
His son Nick went on to say: “It’s early days for us, and thankfully Dad is still fairly independent, but nonetheless I want to start these conversations now, to get some potentially difficult topics out in the open and make it easier for later on.”
Speaking about his mother’s diagnosis, John added, “The fact that I’ve had an early diagnosis, the fact that I’ve seen what happened to my mother firsthand is all a big bonus in many ways, because it enables me to look at it practically, realistically and plan sensibly for the future.”
BBC Morning Live airs weekdays at 9.30am on BBC One.
