The broadcaster John Stapleton, who had Parkinson’s disease complicated by pneumonia, died peacefully in hospital early on Sunday morning, his agent said. He was 79.
According to The Guardian, Stapleton presented on programmes including the BBC’s Watchdog and GMTV’s News Hour.
His agent, Jackie Gill, said, “John had Parkinson’s disease, which was complicated by pneumonia. His son Nick and daughter-in-law Lisa have been constantly at his side and John died peacefully in hospital this morning.”
The broadcaster, who is also known for presenting programmes including Newsnight, Panorama and GMTV’s News Hour, revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in October 2024.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain after announcing his diagnosis, he said, “There’s no point in being miserable … It won’t ever change. Parkinson’s is here with me now for the rest of my life. Best I can do is try and control it and take the advice of all the experts.”
As a presenter for the ITV breakfast programme GMTV, Stapleton anchored four US elections, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, Pope John Paul II’s funeral, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
He was awarded the Royal Television Society's News Presenter of the Year owing to his work covering the 2003 war in Iraq and interviews with then-prime minister Tony Blair.
