Rageh Omaar has thanked everyone for their “kindness and good wishes” as he recovers at home on Saturday after being treated in hospital.
The ITV News international affairs editor was presenting the News at Ten on Friday evening when he appeared shaky and to be having difficulty reading the news bulletins.
The incident sparked widespread concern from viewers on social media.
In a statement shared by ITV News, Omaar said: “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 concern. At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the programme. I am grateful for all the support I’ve been given.”
An ITV News spokesperson said: “We appreciate viewers of last night’s News At Ten were concerned about Rageh Omaar’s wellbeing.
“Following medical treatment at hospital, he is now recovering at home with his family. We are wishing Rageh a speedy recovery and look forward to him being back on screen when he feels ready.”
No further details were given about the journalist’s condition.
Omaar finished the broadcast, but a rerun of the programme was pulled from ITV’s +1 channel. A message was shown telling viewers that ITV was “temporarily unable to bring you our +1 service. We will resume shortly”.
Marverine Cole, a newsreader for ITV’s Good Morning Britain, wished Omaar “all the very best” in a message on X. The Channel 4 journalist Ayshah Tull also wished him “a speedy recovery” on the platform, adding that she was sending her “love to his family at what was a very worrying time for them”.
Omaar covers major global news stories as the international affairs editor, and presents ITV’s current affairs programme On Assignment. He joined ITV in 2013 as a special correspondent and presenter for ITV News, before being promoted to international affairs editor the following year.
The 56-year-old began his journalistic career in 1990 at the Voice newspaper in London, before moving to Ethiopia as a freelance foreign correspondent.
A former BBC senior foreign correspondent, Omaar became a household name during the 2003 invasion of Iraq while reporting from a hotel rooftop in Baghdad. He has written a book about the period, called Revolution Day, exploring the impact of Saddam Hussein’s regime and UN sanctions on Iraqi civilians.
Source: theguardian.com
