Good Morning Britain viewers were left feeling emotional thanks to one guests' appearance on the programme. Charlotte Hawkins was back hosting the ITV news show on Thursday (August 11) alongside Adil Ray who replaced Richard Madeley in the hot seat.
They were joined on the programme by 'hero' plumber James Anderson who has helped more than 50,000 people since launching his charity Depher UK, which aims to help people keep their boilers running during the cost of living crisis. But it's not just a case of using his trade as the 52-year-old won plaudits earlier this year when he bought a freezing family £170 worth of food and energy.
And in May, he won the SGS Engineering Local Hero Award 2022 which recognises ‘hero’ tradespeople in their area who have gone above and beyond to help their community with their generosity.
Speaking to presenters Adil and Charlotte, James said of his work: "We are there to see to people, remove the stigma, remove the elephant in the room, get rid of it. Come to us, whatever you need, we will deal with that for you and then, the after affects, we can get help for you on that as well."
He continued: "It’s all down to coming together as a community, companies especially coming together, and having that community awareness that some people out there cannot do this themselves."
James' appearance on GMB came as it was predicted that an annual energy bill is likely to hit £4,266 for the average household in the UK. He warned: "The Government needs to open its eyes because if they don’t people will die,’ he said. ‘It’s not going to be if or when, people will die."
As Charlotte and Adil applauded him for his work, James told them he's 'not a hero' but a 'normal' guy, however they disagreed and it appears viewers did too as they flocked to social media to praise him.
@Speedqueenie said: "I'm listening to this guy and I'm almost in tears hearing the stories about people who are really struggling. People are going to die due to the cost of living crisis. James gets this, yet the government couldn't give a toss. Criminal. #GMB." @PaulNaudo tweeted: "#GMB James Anderson is a shining beacon of humanity. He is a true hero and peopleschampion. Politicians take note and help people in the ingenious way James does."
@HumbleRichard shared: "#gmb Bravo to James the plumber for offering his services free to the needy. A touching insight into the realities of the energy crisis." @Sian_humphreys commented: "Never mind Britains kindest plumber, he’s the worlds kindest and most generous man! We could all learn a thing or two from James Anderson @Depheruk @gmb #GMB."
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