John Stapleton's touching gesture to Fiona Phillips resurfaces after sad death

John Stapleton's touching gesture to Fiona Phillips has resurfaced following his death. The TV legend passed away yesterday at the age of 79 following complications that came with his Parkinson's diagnosis.

On Monday, former This Morning editor Martin Frizell took to social media to pay tribute. Fans will know that former TV presenter Fiona, who has been married to Martin since 1997, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 2022, and as part of his emotional post dedicated to John, he revealed just how his wife's colleagues had surprised her as she quit GMTV.

In the resurfaced clip, John and his fellow presenters were dressed as 1970s pop group The Osmonds and they sung to Fiona as they bid her goodbye. Looking every bit the pop act, the TV stars were seen belting out Love Me For A Reason, with John, Ben Shephard, Andrew Castle, Penny Smith, Richard Arnold and Kate Garraway all donning black wigs and appropriate costumes.

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He captioned the post: "Here’s the proof that Stapes was a good sport with a great sense of humour. On the day Fiona left GMTV her fellow presenters surprised her with her fave Osmonds song, Kate, Richard, Andrew, Ben, John and Penny. "

Renowned journalist and presenter John had a stellar career in broadcasting stretching over 50 years that led him to the scene of global news events and fronting some of the nation's best-loved TV shows.

His agent, Jackie Gill, said in a statement yesterday: “John had Parkinson’s disease, which was complicated by pneumonia. His son Nick and daughter-in-law Lisa have been constantly at his side and John died peacefully in hospital this morning.” John revealed his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease in October 2024. He joked that like comedian Billy Connolly he had decided to 'come out.'

Speaking to podcast Movers and Shakers, John said he was diagnosed in April 2024 and friends noticed his famous voice had lost some of its resonance and that he was walking with what he called a 'Joe Biden shuffle'. However, his first symptoms were showing years prior - but were initially missed by doctors.

John's son Nick, who presents the BBC's Scam Interceptors, suggested his dad go public with his health diagnosis and John agreed in the hopes of letting others know they were 'not alone.'

The father and son duo appeared on BBC show Morning Live together in October 2024 where they shared how the disease had impacted them. John admitted that while the news was bleak, he was determined to stay as positive as possible as he adjusted to his new way of life. He also said he had not been surprised by his diagnosis after watching his mother also battle Parkinson's later on in life.

John's story attracted huge public attention and the former Watchdog campaigner found himself appearing across news channels again as he raised awareness about the condition.

Speaking about his first symptoms, John said it started with a tremor in hand three years before he was officially diagnosed.

He explained: "About two or three years ago, I started with a tremor. I went to see a specialist, and he said he didn’t think it was Parkinson’s. He called it something else—a benign essential tremor. I asked, "How do you get that?" and he said, "We haven’t a clue." "But the symptoms got worse, so I went back," said John. "That was about two or three months ago. This time, he confirmed it—it was indeed Parkinson’s. I also started having other symptoms: difficulty swallowing, my handwriting becoming illegible because I’d write in tiny letters no one could decipher, and feeling fatigued a lot of the time.

"And, of course, my voice—it's lost a lot of its resonance. I have to speak louder now. I’m working with a speech therapist who’s helping me a great deal, teaching me to project my voice. That’s why I’m really concentrating on what I’m saying right now," he explained.

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