Vernon Kay was moved to tears live on BBC Radio 2 after hearing the story behind Megan's Starr Foundation, a Milford Haven charity supporting young people's mental health, which is among the organisations aided by Children in Need.
During Wednesday morning's broadcast, the presenter reflected on his own Children in Need Ultra Ultramarathon Challenge, completed in 2023, before sharing a statistic about the charity's reach.
Emotional Moment on Air
Vernon stated: "Unfortunately, Children in Need, they're only able to help fund one in six organisations who ask for help." He added: "And that's why the donations are really, really important, and it's only with your support that we can continue to help lighten the load for hundreds of thousands of children when they need it the most, and your donation..."
His voice faltered, and he acknowledged: "I'm going now," as tears began to form, before telling listeners how Children in Need is supporting Megan's Starr Foundation. After regaining his composure, he explained: "The reason why I'm tearing up is because I've seen it first-hand. So I've experienced the challenge, I've experienced what people go through, and I've experienced the way that it helps."
Megan's Starr Foundation
The foundation in Milford Haven, Wales, helps young people with their mental health and wellbeing through counselling, workshops and their community coffee house. It was started by Nicola in memory of her daughter.
A clip then aired featuring Nicola, who established the charity in 2017 following the death of her 14-year-old daughter Megan, who took her own life after suffering severe verbal and online cyberbullying. The account left Vernon, who shares two daughters with his ex Tess Daly, struggling to speak, as he said through tears: "Oh God... as a parent you can't imagine, you can't imagine."
Listener's Voice Note
Earlier in the show, Vernon became emotional again after receiving a voice note from Doncaster-based listener Tracy, who praised Welsh broadcaster Owain for his efforts. She said: "I'm cracking on for 60 now, but as a child I went through a lot of trauma from being a very young age up until my late teens, and listening to your radio station, and just listening to Owain doing this challenge, he's such an inspiration."
She added: "I wish that something like this had been around when I [was] younger and I'm so proud of him. He's such a lovely guy and all the kids that are out there that will get help from him doing something like this, he should be so proud of himself."
Following the message, Vernon joked that his assistant producer Janine Maya-Smith had been "cutting onions" in the studio, as everyone was visibly moved. He remarked: "Thank you Tracy, really appreciate that. Janine, I think it's really rude of you to cut onions whilst Tracy was on there."
He continued: "I mean look at us, all four of us, that plucked at the heartstrings. So, obviously, Tracy has been through it and, back in the day, there was no one there to support her. But, thankfully, Children in Need is around now, and as we've just heard first-hand from Tracy, she would have absolutely benefited from Children in Need helping her as a young person, and helping her progress through life and, obviously, that voice note was very emotional for Tracy. So, Tracy, we really appreciate you getting in touch."
For emotional support, the Samaritans 24-hour helpline can be called on 116 123, or people can email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
