ITV News presenter breaks silence after becoming 'unwell' live on air
ITV news reader Rageh Omaar has spoken out for the first time since becoming "unwell" live on air. The 56 year old journalist was suddenly taken ill during Friday evening’s News At Ten, when he appeared to battle with his speech prompting widespread alarm from viewers at home.
Although Rageh did complete the broadcast, ITV later confirmed that Rageh had become “unwell while presenting and is now receiving medical care.”
Following on from the scary ordeal, he has since broken his silence as he thanked fans and colleagues for their concern and swift actions to secure medical treatment.
In a statement shared by ITV he said: “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News, and our viewers who expressed concern."
He added: "At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the programme. I am grateful for all the support I've been given.”
Meanwhile ITV have also offered an update - revealing that Rageh is now recovering at his home. In the statement, they said: "We appreciate viewers of last night’s News at Ten were concerned about Rageh Omaar’s wellbeing.
"Following medical treatment at hospital, he is now recovering at home with his family. We are wishing Rageh a speedy recovery and look forward to him being back on screen when he feels ready.”
Rageh first became ill just minutes into Friday’s broadcast, when viewers began to notice that the star appeared to be shaky on screen and struggling to speak. In fact, one viewer at home, an Intensive Care Nurse, was so concerned with what she was seeing that she immediately phoned ITV to urge them to contact emergency services.
The nurse wasn’t alone in her concern however as countless fans raced to social media to express their worries over Rageh’s appearance, with many criticising the network for having allowed him to present for 30 minutes while clearly far from his usual self.
One fan wrote: "What happened to him, is he ok & why didn’t they take him off air?”
A second fan then echoed: "Hoping Rageh Omaar got the care he quite clearly needed after the ITV news tonight. Not entirely sure of the context and why he had to continue broadcasting, but I’m sure there will be an explanation in time."
While another said: "I thought he was just having problems with the auto cue but I hope he's feeling better."
During his extensive journalism career, he has also been a senior foreign correspondent for the BBC, rising to prominence during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
