ITV News health and science Emily Morgan investigated NHS patients being forced to seek private healthcare in her final broadcast report before her death aged 45.
ITN confirmed the news of Emily's death in a statement shared on Twitter.
The post read: "We are devastated at the passing of our remarkable colleague Emily Morgan. Emily was a hugely talented journalist and a much-loved friend and mentor to so many here. She will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Emily’s family."
Emily, who had worked for ITN for 23 years, spoke to patients turning to private healthcare after struggling to get access to NHS treatment for her final report, which aired on ITV News on March, 30.
In the report, Emily visited a private hospital in Manchester and explained: "Here in the UK, private hospitals like this one run by Spire have seen a whopping 81 percent increase in revenue from people paying for their own care and many of their new patients have never considered depending on anything else but the NHS."
Emily spoke to professor Pat Price from Imperial College who revealed that international data shows that for every four week delay in diagnosis and treatment there can be on average a 10 percent increase in the death rate.
Emily passed away on Friday after a short battle with lung cancer surrounded by her family.
Paying tribute to his colleague, ITV's royal editor Chris Ship tweeted: "She was such a beautiful person and a dear friend. As Health Editor, Emily was fearless in reporting Covid to the nation in 2020. Talented, kind, full of humanity. She was 45."
Editor of ITV Network News, Andrew Dagnell shared a gushing tribute to Emily as he said: "Her reporting was instrumental in exposing the immense pressure and strain that NHS workers were under, and she became a trusted voice for the public during an unprecedented time," he said in a statement.
"Emily's passion for the role was evident in everything she did and her work was a constant reminder of why journalism matters. Her dedication to informing and educating our viewers will continue to inspire all those who were privileged to work alongside her.
"Our thoughts are with Emily's family. Emily was proud to be a journalist, but she was even more proud of her family. She adored them. We are sending them our love and support at this unthinkably difficult time.
"Emily was an exceptional journalist, a devoted mother and wife, and a true trailblazer in our field. Her friendship, her professionalism and her enormous contribution to our industry and to the public conversation will not be forgotten."
