Rochelle Humes comforted the mother of missing teenager Alexander Sloley during an emotional edition of ITV's This Morning, telling her, "I know this is hard for you."
Nerissa Tivy became tearful as she spoke about the disappearance of her son, who was just 16 when he vanished from Islington, North London, on 2 August 2008, two days before his 17th birthday.
Emotional Interview on This Morning
Nerissa appeared on Thursday's programme, 13 August, alongside her two daughters, where she spoke to Rochelle, Andi Peters and criminologist David Wilson about the devastating mystery that has remained unresolved for almost two decades.
As Nerissa struggled with her emotions, tissues were brought to her and Rochelle offered words of reassurance, acknowledging how difficult it was for her to revisit what happened to her son.
Mother Recalls Son's Disappearance
The emotional moment came as Nerissa described the circumstances surrounding Alexander's disappearance and her concerns about the response after he was reported missing.
Rochelle asked her: "When did you really realise that something was wrong?"
Through tears, Nerissa replied: "When he didn't come home for his birthday. From day one, he never came home for his birthday." Later on, Rochelle gave Nerissa tissues as she sobbed on the ITV programme.
Concerns Over Police Response
Nerissa also spoke about what happened after she became aware that Alexander was missing. She said she had received a phone call from one of his friends, who told her he had not seen the teenager.
She went on to question whether enough support had been provided to her family after Alexander was reported missing. Nerissa said: "If you go to the police station and report that a child is missing, there are several organisations that should be contacted."
According to Nerissa, when she went to report Alexander missing, she was simply given a reference number, leaving her feeling that the family had not received the support she expected.
Viewers React with Sympathy
The deeply personal interview prompted an outpouring of sympathy from viewers watching at home. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one viewer wrote: "Poor mother. Gosh, the never knowing would be truly awful."
For those who knew him, Alexander's disappearance was regarded as completely out of character, leaving his family facing years of uncertainty over what happened to him.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
