Kym Marsh broke down in tears as she honored a Pride of Britain winner with an award during the emotional ceremony which aired on ITV on Thursday night.
The actress and singer, 48, was visibly emotional as she presented former midwife Agnes Nisbett, 87, with the Community Hero honor during the event.
She was recognized for her incredible work with grieving mothers who lost their babies due to stillbirth.
Agnes lost her son after a stillbirth in 1973, while Kym’s son Archie died in 2009 after being born just 21 weeks pregnant.
Agnes was a campaigner for providing a sanctuary for bereaved parents in hospitals as part of the Birth 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 winner with an award during the emotional ceremony which aired on ITV on Thursday night.
The actress and singer, 48, was visibly emotional as she presented former midwife Agnes Nisbett, 87, with the Community Hero honor during 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, admitting she “felt very alone” after the death of her son Archie.
The star and her now ex-husband Jamie Lomas, 48, were left heartbroken when their baby died at 21 weeks after a premature birth in February 2009.
She explained that at first it was difficult for her to talk about her loss, for fear that it would seem “real,” but that openness ended up helping her overcome her pain and at the same time brought her family closer.
However, Kym revealed there is a “huge taboo” around talking about losing a child as it “makes people uncomfortable”, which left her feeling “alone and isolated”.
Before Kym presented the award to Agnes, Gordon and Tana Ramsay surprised her and told her that she had won.
Tana tragically had to give birth to her stillborn son, Rocky, at 20 weeks in 2016.
In the film, during the surprise, Gordon and Tana approached Agnes while she was having dinner in London and announced, “Well, good afternoon.” I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch.
Agnes lost her son 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 turned 16 next year and there is no doubt that you made the experience more bearable from the bottom of my heart.” Thank you’
Before Kym presented the award to Agnes, Gordon and Tana Ramsay surprised her and told her that she had won.
Then they told him he would receive the incredible prize.
Gordon then emotionally told Agnes about his stillbirth: “Six years ago we experienced that, 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, shocking and exactly why she has been given this award.”
“Gordon and I are truly honored to be a part of your special surprise and to speak about our own journey with a real understanding of the importance of the immediate support parents receive in those first heartbreaking moments.”
Elsewhere in the show, viewers cried just minutes into its start on ITV on Thursday night.
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 that she was waiting for a bone marrow transplant, but a rare genetic mutation that affects 10 percent of cases meant that the transplant was likely to fail. .
After a two-year battle with the disease in which Florence, from Corby, gained 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 acute myeloid leukemia in May 2022, after her parents noticed she had contracted a bout of infections.
During the Pride of Britain Awards, a film showed Florrie enjoying a day out in London with her parents Stacey, 34, and Andrew Bark, 36.
They thought they had only seen videos of Perrie, before the Little Mix star, 31, appeared to surprise them.
Florrie was delighted as they hugged and Perrie introduced herself before chatting.
Viewers at home were left in tears at the sweet film as they wrote on X: ‘Watching the Pride of Britain awards and how emotional!! Florrie is an amazing girl…very brave and inspiring.’,
‘Handkerchiefs ready #prideofbritain.’,
‘My God, you saw the first Pride of Britain award! Florrie… I’m glad I have tissues nearby!’,
‘Why the hell do I put myself through this every year? #PrideofBritain. What a brilliant girl Florrie is. More tissues please.’,
‘Less than 10 minutes into Pride of Britain and #Florrie not only lit up my life but also made me shed a tear or two. What an inspiring and brave young woman.’,
“This little Florrie in Pride of Britain, what a brave girl and what a character I love her and she’s raised a lot of money too.”
The annual Pride Of Britain Awards return for their 25th edition, with Ashley Banjo and Carol Vorderman once again co-presenting.
Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks were on hand to host the red carpet on Tuesday, while GK Barry hosted online content in his own bar during the event.
The ceremony, which has taken place since 1999, honors the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and from all walks of life, nominated by members of the public.
After a shortlist was drawn up from thousands of entries, Pride of Britain’s panel of judges chose the winners.
Before the ceremony, the King and Prime Minister Keir Starmer led tributes to the nation’s unsung heroes.
The King called them “the best” of us, while Sir Keir said: “They embody all that is good about Britain.”
King Charles’ words were included in a letter addressed to King’s Trust Young Achiever winner Molly Leonard, whose grandmother shed tears of pride as it was read to her.
As well as praising Molly, he wrote: ‘On this 25th anniversary of the Pride of Britain Awards, I send my warmest admiration to all of this year’s winners. Each of you represents the best of 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 people who embody all that is good about Britain.
In the film, during the surprise, Gordon and Tana approached Agnes while she was having dinner in London and announced, “Well, good afternoon.” Sorry to disturb your lunch.
Gordon then emotionally told Agnes about his stillbirth: “Six years ago we experienced 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 caped superheroes we normally think of; in fact, they look like the rest of us.
But they have something that makes them very special. Courage, determination, generosity, empathy and enormous spirit.
‘They have the power to touch our hearts, to give us hope, to make us feel proud. They are a testament to the incredible things people can achieve even in the face of hardship.’