This Morning host Cat Deeley became emotional during a heartwarming segment on the ITV programme. The presenter confessed she was "tearing up" as celebrity chef Jamie Oliver made a surprise appearance on the show to honour a school cook.
Chef Phyllis was completely unaware she was about to be recognised and was having breakfast at a restaurant when Jamie arrived to reveal she was receiving a Lifetime Achievement award at his Good School Food Awards. He explained that she would then be taken to the ITV studio for an interview with presenters Ben Shephard and Cat.
He revealed that Phyllis had dedicated 45 years to cooking for children, stating: "She is an example of what an incredible lunch lady, lunch cook, looks like."
Phyllis seemed utterly astonished as Jamie appeared with a bouquet of flowers, covering her face with her hands. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. Jamie told her: "Ben and Cat are there, give them a little wave. We are live. We are here to celebrate the fact that you are the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award. I haven't got the award with me, but actually we're going to go around the corner because the studio's just around the corner. I'm going to take you to meet Ben and Cat, and they're going to give it to you. And we'll have an opportunity to celebrate you."
When asked how she felt, she admitted: "Shocked!" "I'm not one for lost for words, but..." she continued. Jamie calculated that Phyllis had "done over a million meals, 10,000 kids in 45 years". "That's a lot of cooking," he said. "That would make a lot of chefs very, very scared."
"I love the tears, but they are tears of 45 years of very hard work," said Jamie as Phyllis began to appear emotional. "Oh I know yes," she responded as she rose to make her way to This Morning's studio. "Everyone, let's give her a round of applause," said Jamie. "And we're going to give her a lot of love, a love that is due."
Watching from the studio sofa, Cat admitted she too was touched by the moment. "I'm tearing up as well!" she confessed. This Morning airs from 10am on ITV on weekdays.
