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Fiona Phillips’ husband, Martin Frizell, has recounted a heartfelt gesture made by John Stapleton toward his wife on her last day as a GMTV host, following John’s death on Sunday.
John, who enjoyed a distinguished television career also presenting on Newsnight and Panorama for almost 50 years, died at the age of 79 after battling Parkinson’s disease.
Martin shared a video on Instagram, featuring John and other ITV presenters dressed as The Osmonds, singing Fiona’s cherished song, “Love Me for a Reason,” during her final GMTV show in 2008.
John along with Ben Shephard, Andrew Castle, Penny Smith, Richard Arnold donned wigs and 70s suits while Kate Garraway, dressed as Marie Osmond.
Along with the clip, Martin wrote a caption: “This is proof that Stapes was a good sport with a wonderful sense of humor. When Fiona left GMTV, her fellow presenters surprised her with her favorite Osmonds song, including Kate, Richard, Andrew, Ben, John, and Penny.”
Before adding: ‘He was a hard news man but I smile every time I think of John’.
Fiona, who hosted the ITV breakfast show for 15-years, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2022 at the age of just 61.
Fiona Phillips’ spouse, Martin Frizell, has highlighted John Stapleton’s heartwarming act towards his wife on her farewell day as a GMTV host, following his passing on Sunday.
John, who had also been a presenter on Newsnight and Panorama, died at 79 on Sunday after struggling with Parkinson’s disease (pictured with Fiona in 2012).
In her candid new memoir, which was published earlier this year, Fiona’s husband Martin, 66, shared how the couple struggled in the years leading up to her diagnosis.
Speaking about the difficult period that began around 2015, Martin recalled: ‘Nothing I could say seemed to help.
He continued: ‘And I guess like in any relationship, the whole thing spirals. Because I felt she was being moody and critical of everything I said and did, I shut down too.
‘We were barely talking and while we were still in the same house we were living quite separate lives.
Martin admitted he never suspected the early signs of Alzheimer’s, saying: ‘I didn’t think for one moment that it was the menopause or, perish the thought, Alzheimer’s.
John’s agent, Jackie Gill, confirmed his passing on Sunday and shared a statement that read: ‘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.’
Martin shared a snap of John with Fiona and Kate Garraway and penned: ‘What fun we had. Such sad news to hear that Stapes, as we called him, has passed away. He was a colleague and friend and a constant presence for a large part of my career, we covered stories together in Kosovo and Iraq, laughed and lunched – a lot’.
John (R) can seen alongside his fellow ITV broadcasters dressed as The Osmonds while serenading Fiona with her favourite song Love Me for a Reason (pictured with Ben Shephard)
John along with Ben Shephard, Andrew Castle, Penny Smith, Richard Arnold donned wigs and 70s suits while Kate Garraway, dressed as Marie Osmond
Martin captioned the clip: ‘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’
‘Like me John came up through the ranks of newspaper journalism before entering broadcasting and never lost that thirst for digging out a story. He was one of the greats of his generation and we will miss him – even the ribbing from him when Chelsea lost to City, which was quite often!’.
John’s former colleague Kate took to Instagram to share an old picture of the duo presenting GMTV.
Alongside the post, she penned: Absolutely devastated to hear of the passing of my dear friend and journalistic hero John Stapleston.’
‘Rock solid broadcaster and the ultimate gentleman. His experience stretched back to when he was a cub reporter on the Yorkshire Post.
‘On his first day alone in the office, he took a call from the police to say that they were starting to dredge the moors looking for what they feared were the bodies of murdered children. He found himself less than an hour later at the scene of one of our nation’s most horrific crimes.
Fiona, who hosted the ITV breakfast show 15-years, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2022 at the age of just 61 (pictured with husband Martin in 2016)
‘Others will pay testimony to his incredible career better than I, and I hope they do but all I can say is he was most generous co partner, always lifting who was along side him up , never crushing or ramming that he knew better ( which he did!) down their throat, never taking over and always always fair , truthful and honourable. Huge fun too – no one told a story down the pub better than John.
‘We will not see his like again . Thinking of his son Nick and all who knew and loved him’
GMB star Susanna Reid also took to X, formerly known as Twitter to pay her respects to the ‘broadcasting legend’.
She penned: ‘So so sad to hear of John Stapleton’s death. He was a legend in broadcasting, the consummate pro and always good-humoured and gracious to work with. A huge part of GMB’s story and television history. Sending love to John’s family.’
