HEARTBREAKING NEWS: Legendary BBC broadcaster John Stapleton has ISSUED a STATEMENT on his THE END following the SH0CK ANNOUNCEMENT

John Stapleton made a devastating end of life admission (Image: GB News)

Legendary BBC broadcaster John Stapleton made a statement about the end of his life after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The veteran TV presenter, who went on to work at ITV’s Daybreak, appeared on GB News alongside his former co-presenter Penny Smith, who he referred to as his “on-screen wife”, to talk about his health.

Speaking to Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello as John, 79, and Penny, 66, reunited for the first time in a decade, Penny joked: “10 years ago that the wheels came off and we went our separate ways like squeaky supermarket trollies.” The pair confirmed they still kept in touch, regularly meeting up for “sober lunches”.

Abruptly Eamonn asked: “What’s wrong with you?”, with John explaining: “I’ve got a thing called Parkinson’s disease, a progressive illness. Which is a polite way of saying it will only get worse. But thinking positive about it, lots of people live a normal life with Parkinson’s so I’m aiming to do the same. I’m taking the tablets, I’m doing the exercises my experts have told me to do, I’m speaking as well as I can because I need a speech therapist to talk more slowly and more clearly.”

He added: “I also have difficulty swallowing and the latest thing is I’ve had difficulty with my balance, hence this stick I’ve got by my side all the time now. But I’m learning to live with it and doing my best to overcome it.”

Explaining more about his diagnosis, Stapleton said: “It’s a neurological disorder, which means your body doesn’t coordinate the way it used to. It’s the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, believe it or not. We don’t quite know why, possibly because more of us are living longer. But as I say you can live a normal life with it, if you behave yourself – which I’m attempting to do.

“It’s all about making light of it as best you can, having a few laughs. We can’t always be downhearted about these things, can we?”

It’s not the only health struggle John has had to contend with. Only one of his kidneys functions properly, and he battled anorexia nervosa when he was younger – a diagnosis he confirmed in 2008 during a One Show appearance.