Iain Dale breaks down in tears on Good Morning Britain as he reflects on care home turmoil

 "I was just thinking how I would feel if my parents were still alive and they were in a care home under those circumstances.”

Radio host Iain Dale struggled to hold back tears as he discussed the devastating impact of coronavirus in care homes on Good Morning Britain.

The normally unflappable disc jockey, 58, lost his composure after watching ITV News UK Editor Paul Brand’s investigation into the toll of lockdown in care homes.

In the week to last Friday, 1,260 deaths in care homes involving Covid-19 were reported to the Care Quality Commission, a sharp jump from 864 and 661 in the previous two weeks. The weekly death toll in care homes had fallen to well below 100 in early October.

In the documentary, an elderly woman was pulled away from her care home window as her family approaches.

Host Ben Sheppard kicked off the discussion, saying that whilst infection rates were going down, the number of deaths was still rising. Praising the documentary he said: “How difficult it is for the care home workers, the residents and the families of those residents to be able to live any sort of normality through the pandemic.

“When you hear a statistic like the deaths have doubled in two weeks, it is really terrifying.”

Christmas Day in a London care home
A resident sits in an armchair looking out of the window of Alexander House Care Home on Christmas Day,
REUTERS

Mr Dale replied: “Yes and that’s reflected with the death figure more generally.

“You’re right the infection rate has come down but it remains stubbornly high at just under 40,000.

“There hasn’t been a dramatic decline in the past few days on that. I think it’s been 35-40,000 for the last few days.

“One hopes that it will come down. I mean Paul’s film highlights one of the tragedies of the pandemic.

“I was watching it and I was just thinking how I would feel if my parents were still alive and they were in a care home under those circumstances.”

Mr Dale choking back the tears stutters: “That poor lady looking through the window there.

“You can tell, I’m getting slightly emotional just thinking about it. You just can’t comprehend the emotional turmoil people have had to go through over the past year and frankly, are going to have to go through for a good few months yet.”

Co-host Kate Garroway, whose husband Derek Draper is still in hospital, with the virus also fought back the tears after she revealed a close friend younger than her had died with the virus that has so far claimed 94,580 lives in the UK.

“She got it at Christmas - it’s making me feel emotional,” she said.

“And she just went down very quickly and she died. I just thought, ‘I cannot believe that here we are, so far on.'

“Derek is still ravaged by the effects of COVID way back in March, his recovery is incredibly uncertain.

“I’m trying to look for new things and new ways and talking to doctors about what we can do for him.”

Care Homes: The Long Year Alone was broadcast on Thursday evening and followed residents and workers throughout the pandemic.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am.

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