Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid honoured two prominent figures in a sad announcement
Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid paid tribute on GMB (Image: ITV)
ITV‘s breakfast programme Good Morning Britain delivered a touching tribute to two trailblazers. Presenter Susanna Reid honoured D-Day hero Ronald Butcher and Hollywood veteran Robert Redford. During Wednesday’s (September 17) episode, she was joined by Richard Madeley when they paused the show to announce two heartbreaking deaths.
Susanna announced: “I want to pay tribute to an extraordinary man, hero, D-Day Veteran Ronald Butcher, who has passed away at the age of 98.” Earlier this year, just before VE-Day, Ronald spoke about dealing with trauma from the battlefield once the Second World War was over, fighting the memories, even in his sleep.” After discussing Ronald’s death and his impact, Richard addressed the death of acting legend Robert Redford and said: “Talking of RIPs, we say goodbye to Robert Redford, who has been part and parcel of the fabric for so many people’s cinematic lives as far as I can remember.”
GMB stars also paid tribute to Robert Redford (Image: Getty)
Susanna went on to say: “He won an Oscar, didn’t he? For Ordinary People, for directing, and for Best Picture. Of course, he set up The Sundance Film Festival, which launched many, many films.”
Later on in the broadcast, entertainment correspondent Richard Arnold also paid tribute to the actor and declared: “We’ve lost an icon.”
During the discussion about Ronald, they shared footage of the distinguished Merchant Navy seaman, as he revealed there was no assistance available at the time for him to handle the trauma he experienced following his wartime service, which frequently led to nightmares where he was transported back to the battlefield.
He stated: “My mother and father used to come and wake me up and sort me out.” Susanna informed viewers that today, Ronald’s condition would suggest he suffered from PTSD.
GMB paid tribute to D-Day Veteran Ronald Butcher (Image: ITV)
Ronald’s daughter Christine Lincoln, 61, said he died on Monday afternoon after telling her “night night.”
“He’d been to the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in Norfolk and rose to the occasion but afterwards he was weak and wobbly,” she explained.
“Then on Monday he was fading and he said ‘where are we?’ in a whisper, and I told him he was at home in bed and said, ‘Dad, if you’re tired, you can go to sleep now’. And he replied ‘night night’ and was gone. It was so fast. The cat was lying next to him and didn’t move until the undertakers came.”
