Good Morning Britain presenters Ranvir Singh, Richard Madeley and Laura Tobin paid an emotional tribute to cameraman Donovan Parsons, who died after a battle with cancer. Parsons, who had been with ITN for 25 years, was remembered fondly during Thursday's show on October 22.
A Hard Week for the Team
Ranvir Singh told viewers that it had been "a hard week for us this week", with Laura Tobin echoing the sentiment. Having worked closely with Donovan over the years, Laura replied: "More than a cameraman, he was just an amazing friend to everybody as well. I think that's what's really unusual to hear. Not only was he incredible at his job, but he also used to watch the show when he wasn't working and phone up the crew to give feedback on how wonderful they were."
A photograph of Laura alongside Donovan and another ITV crew member appeared on screen, taken in Brighton. Laura described the image of Donovan's broad grin as one of her all-time favourites.
Remembering Donovan
Laura continued: "Everybody is saying he was so supportive and loyal, he made me laugh every single morning. He was a one-off; we've had so many happy, fun memories. I feel so privileged to have known him. He had amazing knowledge, he was a brilliant colleague, and he was always smiling. He was just so passionate about his job. He even worked on his 50th birthday because he said he couldn't think of a better place to be. So, to his wife and four children, we just want to send out love to them and say he was just a really lovely human being, and his smile lit up the room."
As Laura became visibly emotional towards the conclusion of her tribute, with her voice beginning to break, Ranvir reached across to hold her hand while describing Donovan as a "good person". Laura added: "We just send out love to his family."
Final Farewell
Earlier in the show, a series of photographs appeared on screen showing Donovan alongside various members of the Good Morning Britain team during location shoots. Ranvir said: "We just wanted to say this morning, because it takes a whole family to put this programme on air. When you work these ungodly hours overnight, in the middle of the night, sometimes in the freezing cold and the battling wind and rain. Wherever you are bringing the stories to Good Morning Britain, what you really need is upbeat, happy cameramen with a can-do attitude, and Donovan epitomised absolutely the absolute best of what you need."
Ranvir emphasised that producing programmes requires "a lot of work" behind the scenes, telling viewers the team "really misses" Donovan before extending their condolences to his family. Richard Madeley added: "One of the huge things that I've enjoyed so much about joining this programme is the team. It's a proper team effort. But, of course, in all teams there are always exceptional characters, and he was one."
