John Stapleton, veteran broadcaster, dies at 79; tributes pour in on GMB

Good Morning Britain opened on Monday with tributes to veteran journalist John Stapleton, who died yesterday morning at age 79 after complications tied to Parkinson's disease and pneumonia, his agent said, describing the death as peaceful in hospital.

Susanna Reid fought back tears as she opened the show, noting Stapleton's imprint on the programme and on breakfast television history: "He was a part of this programme's history and a part of breakfast television history." Richard Madeley added, "I can't believe he's actually gone."

Stapleton's career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the BBC where he worked on flagship programmes including Panorama, before going on to co-present Watchdog with his wife, Lynn Faulds Wood. The couple became one of television's most trusted duos until Lynn's death in 2020. In the 1980s, he was among TV-am's faces on Good Morning Britain, presenting between 1983 and 1986. He later became a staple of ITV breakfast television, moving through GMTV and Daybreak before joining Good Morning Britain when it replaced Daybreak in 2014. He remained on the sofa until 2015.

Colleagues frequently highlighted his ability to combine sharp journalistic instincts with charm and warmth on-screen. Lorraine Kelly said she had sat on the sofa with him many times over the years, from GMTV to more recently when he came in to talk about living with Parkinson's, without an ounce of self-pity. Health editor Dr Hilary also joined in: "He was everybody's friend. He spoke to everybody on the same level and he would remember people years after meeting them."

Nick Stapleton spoke by video link on BBC's Morning Live, describing a sudden downturn: "Unfortunately, Dad's got a bit of a chest infection and that can be pretty nasty if you've got Parkinson's," he said, adding he hoped his father would be back on form soon.

John's wife Lynn Faulds Wood, with whom he formed a trusted television duo, died in 2020. John's Parkinson's diagnosis was publicly discussed in October last year in a BBC film: "Speaking is how I've earned my living for the best part of 50 years, and it's very frustrating sometimes, particularly if people are constantly saying to you, sorry, what did you say?" In a follow-up interview with the Mirror, published in November, he said: "Parkinson's is not going to go away, so learn to live with it. I take the best advice I can from my neurologist, from my speech therapist, and get on with it."

Good Morning Britain remains a staple on ITV1, airing weekdays from 6 a.m. and streaming on ITVX.