- The ITV News at Ten presenter was taken straight to hospital after finishing the show
ITV news bosses tried to convince its presenter Rageh Omaar to hand over his bulletin to a stand-in presenter after he fell ill on air, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
News at Ten viewers were left concerned for the presenter after he began to struggle with his words during a segment on weekend fun towards the end of the program on Friday.
But Mr Omaar, 56, insisted he had continued and refused to hand over to a replacement presenter at the regional London newspaper, even though he was taken straight to hospital after the ’emission.
An ITV News source told the Mail on Sunday: “The program team were trying to replace him when they realized there was a problem.
“They sent the presenter on standby to take over, but he insisted on staying on air. No one could get him out of his chair. He refused to move. Even when asked said he had to leave and the team called for medical help. Everyone did everything they could to help him.
ITV News at Ten presenter Rageh Omaar insisted on finishing the show after contracting illness while on air, despite calls from bosses to bring in a replacement presenter.
“He was determined to finish what he started. It was a horrible, horrible night.
Mr Omaar, ITV News’ international affairs editor, was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he then spent the night after channel staff called paramedics. He was released yesterday afternoon and was recovering with his family.
A friend of the newsreader suggested he didn’t feel “bad” as he stumbled over his words. ITV and Mr Omaar’s family were reluctant to give details of the cause of his on-screen illness, but experts said the presenter was showing signs of a mini-stroke, called a transient ischemic attack ( AIT).
It is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to a part of the brain caused by a moving blood clot or “clogging” of the arteries.
Fiona Clark, a nurse, claimed she called ITV at 10.10pm and told them “as an intensive care nurse working in stroke, Rageh Omaar needed an emergency ambulance, he was dysphasic, had a drooping left eye, had slurred speech and was agitated All the symptoms of Fast.” ‘.
The acronym Fast – which stands for face, arm, speech and time – is a test to quickly identify whether a person is having a stroke.
In a statement, Mr Omaar thanked viewers of the show, saying: “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News and our viewers who expressed their concern.
“At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the program. I am grateful for all the support that has been given to me.
But viewers accused ITV News of failing in its duty of care to Mr Omaar – even though they did not know what was happening in the studio.
Calls have been made on social media for television regulator Ofcom to investigate ITV’s treatment of the Somali-born presenter.
Regulator Ofcom received calls to investigate ITV’s treatment of Somali-born presenter
An ITV News spokesperson said last night that it appreciated that News at Ten viewers were “concerned for Rageh Omaar’s welfare”.
They added: “After medical treatment in hospital, he is now recovering at home with his family. We wish Rageh a speedy recovery and hope he returns to the screen when he feels ready.
Father-of-three Mr Omaar, who studied modern history at Oxford, made his name as a BBC foreign correspondent during the invasion of Iraq and the fall of Baghdad in 2003 .
In September 2006 he joined Al Jazeera English, where he presented the weekday night documentary series and in January 2013 he became a special correspondent and presenter at ITV.
The broadcaster is married to Georgiana Rose Montgomery-Cuninghame, with whom he has three children, Loula, Sami and Zachary.
Following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth, Mr Omaar was also chosen by ITV to cover her funeral on September 19, 2022.
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