Kate Garraway shared a moving moment with a D-Day veteran as she presented coverage of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings from northern France on Thursday.
During the Good Morning Britain coverage, Kate, 57, spoke to a former Bombardier in the Royal Artillery named John Life, 100.
The war veteran was visibly moved as he told Kate about his memories from D-Day, in 1944.
After their interview had wrapped Kate revealed that John had shared his condolences for the death of her husband Derek Draper.
Kate Garraway shared a moving moment with a D-Day veteran as she presented coverage of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings from northern France on Thursday
Kate told her GMB co-stars Ed Balls and Charlotte Hawkins who were in the London studio: ‘One of the first things he said was: “I’m so sorry for your loss” to me, about the passing of Derek, my husband.’
‘The idea that he knew that and thought of that with all that he’d been through, I just said to him “there would have been no Derek as it was, there would have been no me, there would have no any of our lives without what you did”.
‘And he cried, we held hands. It’s hard to overstate really how important it is for them that we remember and how important it is for us that we remember too.’
King Charles and Queen Camilla have led a silent prayer for D-Day veterans on the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings at the poignant service in northern France.
The monarch paid tribute to the ‘remarkable’ wartime generation and spoke of his ‘profound sense of gratitude’ to those who fought for freedom during the Second World War in an address to veterans at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.
The emotional service saw memories from those who fought in Normandy read out, sparking tears from those in attendance, which included Their Majesties, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Charles, along with President Macron, Mr Sunak and military leaders laid wreathes of poppies at the memorial as Elgar’s Nimrod was performed by a brass band in the background, with the national anthems of France and the United Kingdom also being played as the Red Arrows roared overhead.
The veterans in attendance were given a standing ovation by the crowd in recognition of their efforts, and recognition was given that their numbers dwindle as each year passes – at the 75th anniversary five years ago 255 travelled to France, compared to the 50 who have made the journey this time around.
The monarch looked emotional as he listened to singer Johnny Flynn perform ‘Song with no Name’ in tribute to the fallen, while Camilla was seen wiping her eyes as actor Martin Freeman read a touching diary entry from one survivor who remarked ‘it’s because of the lads [who died] that I’m here today’.
Mr Sunak gave a touching speech at the event saying that ‘only by remembering’ can we ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten. As military planes flew overhead, Mr Sunak led the audience of 2,000 people in giving the veterans in attendance a standing ovation.
Schoolchildren presented veterans attending the UK’s national commemoration event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, France, with white roses while cadets waved flags.
At the same time, an RAF band performed a marching display while Dakota military transport aircraft, widely used by the Allies during the Second World War, flew overhead. There was also an emotive performance by Tom Jones of his song ‘I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall’
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at the British Normandy Memorial for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in northern France
The King looked emotional as he listened to singer Johnny Flynn perform Song with no Name in tribute to the fallen this morning
Veterans look on during the commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial service in northern France this morning
British veterans gathered at the British Normandy Memorial where there was a commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings
The veterans in attendance were given a rapturous round of applause by crowds at Ver-sur-Mer in northern France this morning
King Charles shares a joke with French President Emmanuel Macron at the often-emotional service in Normandy this morning
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives a speech at the British Normandy Memorial paying tribute to the veterans of D-Day
Prince William was pictured with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a memorial service at Canadian cemetery at Juno Beach
Elsewhere Prince William was pictured attending at Juno Beach, where thousands of Canadian troops lost their lives, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
At Ver-sur-Mer, Charles led 2,000 dignitaries, military personnel and veterans in paying troubte to those who stormed the beaches.
‘Eighty years ago on D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, our nation – and those which stood alongside it – faced what my grandfather, King George VI, described as the supreme test,’ he said.
‘How fortunate we were, and the entire free world, that a generation of men and women in the United Kingdom and other allied nations did not flinch when the moment came to face that test.
‘On the beaches of Normandy, on the seas beyond and in the skies overhead, our armed forces carried out their duty with a humbling sense of resolve and determination – qualities so characteristic of that remarkable war-time generation.
‘Very many of them never came home, they lost their lives on the D-Day landing grounds or in the many battles that followed.
‘It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them and all those who served at that critical time.
‘We recall the lesson that comes to us again and again across the decades – free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny.’
Speaking in French as well as English, he also paid his respects to the people of France, who suffered under Nazi rule during the Second World War and who fought for freedom through La Résistance.
