Ruth’s tears for tragic friend
This Morning presenter Ruth Langsford broke viewers’ hearts in an emotional encounter with a former colleague...
TV veteran Ruth Langsford is used to conducting emotionally-charged interviews. And her skills were tested to the limit last week, when she met a former This
Morning colleague left brain-injured due to an extreme nut allergy.
Amy May Shead, now 29, was a talented young TV producer working on ITV’s flagship daytime show when, back in 2014, she went on holiday to Budapest, Hungary.
Knowing she had a nut allergy, Amy went armed with two EpiPens, which deliver a shot of adrenaline should anaphylactic shock occur, and an allergy card written in Hungarian.
Despite these precautions, and the fact that staff in the restaurant she visited assured her that her meal of chicken and rice was safe, she took just one mouthful before her airways began to close.
The reaction was so severe that, despite two adrenaline shots, Amy technically ‘died’ for six minutes. Her brain was starved of oxygen, and she is now wheelchair-bound and unable to speak.
Now, Amy and her loving parents, Sue and Roger, who act as her carers, want to raise awareness of nut allergies and are backing a campaign for nuts to be banned on aircraft. That’s why the family agreed to appear on This Morning.
Ruth, presenting alongside husband Eamonn Holmes, told viewers, ‘Amy can understand everything that we say, but she can’t respond. I’m going to come and sit here, ’cos I know you can see me,’ she added, touching Amy’s face gently.
Ruth involved Amy in every stage of the interview process, telling her, ‘ We’ve been asking, “Should nuts be allowed on planes?”’ As Amy mouthed the word ‘no’, Ruth lovingly massaged her hand and told her, ‘ You are so brave, coming on here. We all love to see you and we miss you here.’
Parents Sue and Roger spoke of their hopes for Amy’s future, with Roger admitting, ‘ We’re on a very long journey.’
Eamonn added, ‘I can see the improvement. [Amy] looks healthier than the last time we saw her.’
Fans on Twitter praised the couple for their sensitivity. One posted, ‘ What a beautiful girl, and I love how loving and caring Ruth is.’ So do we. l Ruth and Eamonn are supporting the campaign to ban nuts on flights. Visit The Amy May Trust at amymaytrust.com