Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
NHS Team who saved me are Britain’s heart...
Boris in moving tribute to medics in Covid fight
BORIS Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds are to make their first TV appearance together to praise the nation’s NHS heroes – and thank them for saving his life.
The Prime Minister and partner Carrie filmed their joint tribute to frontline staff for this Sunday’s Pride of Britain Awards 2020 on ITV, calling them the nation’s “beating heart”.
In the film they pay tribute to NHS workers for their “c o u ra ge a n d dedication” during the pandemic.
In the heartfelt message, the PM thanked the “utterly brilliant team” of medics who “saved my life” at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital and nominated nurses Luis and Jenny for Pride of Britain awards.
Carrie also thanked the NHS for saving his life after Mr Johnson spent a week in hospital battling coronavirus in April. And she nominated the NHS maternity team at London’s University College Hospital for delivering their first baby Wilfred, born just 17 days after the Prime Minister was discharged, for a Pride of Britain award.
His middle name is Nicholas after two NHS doctors who saved Boris’s life in intensive care.
Carrie, 32, said: “You continue to provide care for all of us in the very toughest of times. And it’s because of you that not only is Boris still here, but that we are proud parents to our sweet baby boy.”
She added: “As a family we have so much to be thankful to the NHS for and we will never stop being grateful.”
The couple, who sat together on a sofa, filmed the message at their country
home Chequers earlier this week. It is the first time that Carrie has made an appearance of this kind on national television.
Mr Johnson, 56, started the message by saying: “Good evening. It’s Boris and Carrie here...
“Earlier this year over the course of seven days, I experienced first-hand the courage and dedication of our NHS frontline workers – our doctors and nurses, our porters and pharmacists, our cleaners and clinicians.
“Th e y have saved the l iv e s of thousands of people across our country.”
Carrie then made her touching tribute, to which t h e PM responded: “Exactly right. So I want to pay thanks to the utterly brilliant team at St Thomas’ Hospital who saved my life.
“There were many of them, but I want to nominate two nurses i n particular, Luis and Jenny.”
Carrie added: “And I would like to nominate the fantastic maternity team at University College Hospital f or delivering Wilf and looking after us both so well.”
The Prime Minister then said: “Thank you to each and every one of you. ou. For your
care, your compassion and your kindness. You are the beating heart of our nation. You truly are the Pride of Britain.” The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards 2020, in partnership with TSB, will be shown on Sunday at 9pm on ITV. As the climax of the awards, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will present a special recognition award to the NHS frontline heroes.
Others honouring the nation’s unsung heroes range from His Royal Highness Prince Charles to David Beckham, Ant and Dec, Stephen Fry, Dame Helen Mirren and Taylor Swift.
Hosted by Carol Vorderman, the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards has become the biggest national annual event of its kind on British TV since it was launched laun 21 years ago.
This yea year, due to the pandemic, instead of the t ceremony taking place at Londo London’s Grosvenor House, celebrities w will take the awards to the winners around the country.
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