Kym Marsh broke down in tears as she honored a Pride Of Britain recipient with an award during the emotional ceremony broadcast on ITV on Thursday evening.
The actress and singer, 48, was visibly emotional as she awarded former midwife Agnes Nisbett, 87, the Community Hero honor at the event.
She was recognized for her incredible work with grieving mothers who lost their babies to stillbirth.
Agnes lost her child after a stillbirth in 1973, while Kym’s son Archie died in 2009 after being born just 21 weeks into her pregnancy.
Agnes was a campaigner for providing refuge for grieving parents in hospitals as part of the Born While Sleeping program at Leicester Royal Infirmary, where mothers could be separated from new parents and their newborns.
Kym Marsh broke down in tears as she honored a Pride Of Britain recipient with an award during the emotional ceremony broadcast on ITV on Thursday evening.
The actress and singer, 48, was visibly emotional as she gave former midwife Agnes Nisbett, 87, the honor of Community Hero at the event
Speaking to Agnes on stage, Kym said: ‘From one mother who has experienced baby loss, to another, thank you.
‘My son would have turned 16 next year and there is no doubt that you made the experience more bearable, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.’
Earlier this year, Kym opened up about the ‘stigma’ surrounding talking about the loss of a child, as she admitted she ‘felt very alone’ following the death of her son Archie.
The star and her now ex-husband Jamie Lomas, 48, were left heartbroken when their son died at 21 weeks following a premature birth in February 2009.
She explained that she initially struggled to talk about her loss, fearing that it would make it feel “real,” but that opening up ultimately helped her move through her grief while bringing her family closer.
However, Kym revealed that there is a ‘big taboo’ around talking about losing a child as it ‘makes people uncomfortable’, leaving her feeling ‘lonely and isolated’.
Before Agnes received the prize from Kym, she was surprised by Gordon and Tana Ramsay who told her she had won.
Tana tragically gave birth to her stillborn son Rocky in 2016, who was 20 weeks old.
In the film, during the surprise, Gordon and Tana walked up to Agnes while she was having dinner in London and announced, “Well, good afternoon. Sorry to disturb your lunch.’
Agnes lost her child after a stillbirth in 1973, while Kym’s son Archie died in 2009 after being born just 21 weeks into her pregnancy
Speaking to Agnes on stage, Kym said: ‘From one mother who has experienced baby loss, to another, thank you’
Kym added: “My son would have been 16 next year and there is no doubt that you made the experience more bearable, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you’
Before Agnes received the prize from Kym, she was surprised by Gordon and Tana Ramsay who told her she had won
Then she was told she would receive the incredible award.
Gordon then emotionally told Agnes about their stillbirth: “We went through that six years ago, so we couldn’t be happier to be here.”
Tana said afterwards: ‘Who she is and what she has done for so many women is incredible, impactful and exactly why she received this award.
“Gordon and I were truly honored to be part of her special surprise, and to talk about our own journey with an understanding of the importance of the immediate support parents receive during those heartbreaking first moments.”
Elsewhere in the show, viewers were left in tears just minutes after the show started on Thursday evening on ITV.
The opening segment featured eight-year-old leukemia survivor Florence Bark, who was surprised by her favorite pop star Perrie Edwards in a sweet movie before winning the Child of Courage Award.
The now TikTok star was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2022. At the time, her family told MailOnline she was awaiting a bone marrow transplant, but a rare gene mutation that occurs in 10 percent of cases meant the transplant was likely to fail. .
After a two-year battle with the disease, which saw Florence, from Corby, gain hundreds of thousands of fans online, she shared in July that she was cancer-free.
Florence, who goes by the nickname Florrie, was first diagnosed with AML in May 2022 after her parents noticed she had suffered a bout of infections.
During the Pride of Britain Awards, a film showed Florrie being treated to a day out in London with her parents Stacey, 34, and Andrew Bark, 36.
They thought they had just been watching videos of Perrie before the Little Mix star, 31, came out to surprise them
Florrie was delighted as they hugged and Perrie introduced herself before they continued talking.
Viewers at home were left in tears at the sweet video as they wrote on X: ‘Watching the Pride of Britain Awards and how emotional!! Florrie is an amazing little girl…so brave and inspiring.’,
‘Tissues ready #prideofbritain.’,
‘Omg, did you see the first Pride of Britain award! Florrie…….glad I had tissues nearby!’,
‘Why on earth do I put myself through this every year. #pride of Britain. What a brilliant girl Florie is. More tissues pls.’,
‘Less than 10 minutes after Pride of Britain and #Florrie has not only brightened my life but also shed a tear. What an inspiring, courageous young lady.’,
“This little girl Florrie from Pride of Britain, what a brave little girl and such a character, love her and she has raised so much money too.”
The annual Pride Of Britain Awards returns for a 25th year, with Ashley Banjo and Carol Vorderman returning as co-hosts.
Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks were on hand to host the red carpet on Tuesday, while GK Barry presented online content from her own bar during the event.
The ceremony has been taking place since 1999 and honors the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life – nominated by members of the public.
After a shortlist was drawn up from thousands of entries, the winners were chosen by the Pride of Britain judges.
Before the ceremony, the King and Prime Minister Keir Starmer led tributes to the country’s unsung heroes.
The King called them ‘the very best’ among us, while Sir Keir said: ‘They embody everything that is great about Britain’.
King Charles’ words were included in a letter to King’s Trust Young Achiever winner Molly Leonard, whose grandmother cried tears of pride as she read it to her.
As well as praising Molly, he wrote: ‘On this 25th anniversary of the Pride of Britain Awards, I extend my deepest admiration to all of this year’s winners. You each represent the very best in our society.’
The Prime Minister told the winners: ‘Britain is proud of you’.
‘For a quarter of a century, the Pride of Britain awards have celebrated the people who embody everything that is great about Britain.
In the film, during the surprise, Gordon and Tana walked up to Agnes while she was having dinner in London and announced, “Well, good afternoon. Sorry to disturb your lunch
Gordon then emotionally told Agnes about their stillbirth: ‘Six years ago we went through that, so we couldn’t be happier to be here’
‘These are people from all walks of life, but they all have one thing in common. They are heroes.
‘They may not be the cape-wearing superheroes we normally think of, in fact, they look just like the rest of us.
‘But they do have something that makes them very special. Courage, determination, generosity, empathy and a tremendous spirit.
“They have the power to touch our hearts, make us hopeful, make us proud. They are a testament to the incredible things people can achieve, even in the face of adversity.”