ITV News favourite Emily Morgan fronted a poignant final broadcast for the show just weeks before her death at the age of 45 from lung cancer.
News broke of Emily’s tragic death last month (May 27), with her cause of death being revealed as lung cancer, which was only recently diagnosed.
Poignantly, what would be Emily’s final broadcast for the channel was a report on hospital waiting times as she spoke of cancer patients who “don’t have time to wait” for treatment.
Poignant last report for ITV News by the late Emily Morgan
In the report on March 30, Emily met Welsh nurse Candy Duncan, who opted to pay for private treatment as NHS waiting lists buckled under the weight of referrals. She needed a hip replacement and said she saw it as “buying back her life”.
Emily explained: “I have been talking to and meeting patients so desperate and so ill, they’ve decided to go private.” Candy pay thousands for treatment overseas, but Emily explained not everyone was lucky enough to be able to do that.
She shared: “Sadly though, there are those who don’t have time to wait. Those with cancer. Such a brutal disease, the longer it’s left to grow, the harder it is to treat.”
Cancer waiting times are at an all time high with clinicians including @prof_price warning of thousands of lives at risk from delays in treatment. @emilymorganitv reports on the patients desperate to buy back their lives in#ITVTonight Buy Back Your Health? NHS vs Private 8.30pm pic.twitter.com/HOKsUswnkY
— Tonight (@ITVTonight) March 30, 2023
‘Tens of thousands are going to die’
The journalist then spoke to Professor Pat Price from Imperial College, who revealed international data shows that for every four week delay in diagnosis and treatment there can be on average a 10% increase in the death rate.
Emily asked the consultant if this meant more people would die. The response was heartbreaking. “Absolutely,” she said. “Tens of thousands of people are going to die.”
Ending her report, Emily said: “I thought the pandemic was a crisis – but this is perhaps, far worse.”
She signed off: “Emily Morgan, ITV News.”
Emily later shared a clip of the segment to her Twitter page – in what would be her last post on social media. Fans have since offered their condolences in the comments section.
One said: “RIP Emily. You were one of the good ones. Quite shocked by the announcement. My thoughts are with you and your family.”
Read more: Emily Morgan’s devastated friends and colleagues pay tribute as her death aged 45 is announced
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