Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins has spoken about how turning 50 prompted her to reassess her life, a decade after her father Frank died from motor neurone disease (MND). The broadcaster, who joined ITV in 2014, said the milestone in May made her focus on what brings joy: her daughter Ella-Rose, husband Mark Herbert, and their family and friends.
Hawkins, a patron of the MND Association, recalled her father's sudden diagnosis in 2011. He died aged 78, and she noted: 'When my dad died 10 years ago from motor neurone disease ... I realised life is short - you have to seize every moment.' She also opened up about the challenge of losing his voice to the disease.
In a segment on Good Morning Britain in August, Hawkins highlighted how artificial intelligence helped replicate the voice of Sarah Ezekiel, who has MND, using a short video clip. Fighting tears, Hawkins said: 'I feel really emotional because my dad lost his voice ... when you can't hear your father's voice anymore.' She added that for Ezekiel's children, hearing their mother's voice again was 'amazing' and 'so special'.
Hawkins, who began her career at ITN in 1999 and later worked for LBC and Sky's Sunrise, admitted she initially struggled with anxiety in television, describing a 'fake it until you make it' approach. She drew inspiration from her father, a vicar, observing his sermons.
