ITV News anchor Tom Bradby has paid a "beautiful" tribute to his colleague and friend Emily Morgan following her death aged 45.
The ITV News health and science editor passed away on Friday night surrounded by her family after a lung cancer diagnosis.
Emily had worked for ITN for 23 years and played a key role in its coverage of the COVID pandemic.
News at Ten presenter Tom gave a heartfelt message to his colleague Emily during an ITV News bulletin.
As a montage of Emily's work played, Tom said: "She will be familiar to many, if not all of you.
"As our health editor, Emily Morgan became a household name during the dark days of the pandemic.
"If the sheer volume of time spent on Covid wards exposed her to a degree of risk, she was always clear as to why she was doing it."
"Over more than a decade, her reporting on health and politics and much else besides was marked out by its clarity, its style, its charisma, compassion and basic humanity," he added.
"She actually began her career as a producer working behind the scenes. For five years at Westminster we worked together everyday as we criss crossed the globe on planes, trains and automobiles after Blair and Brown and Cameron and many others besides.
"She was brilliant at her job, it's true. But she was also incredibly funny and completely irreverent."
Tom continued: "I once persuaded our editor to send us across Canada by train with cameraman Rob Turner to make a film on how the Canadian's cut the deficit.
"Emily referred to this ever afterwards, in front of the senior management, as our holiday in Canada with Rob.
"Like many a friendship born at work, it was full of the talk of the joys of home. We watched her fall in love, get married, have two wonderful daughters.
"She must have had her faults, we all do. But we didn't see them.
"In the 33 years I have been here I am not sure I have witnessed too many people more popular in this newsroom.
"We are devastated because we really loved her and if you had known her, you would have too."
One viewer wrote: "So moving and a wonderful tribute to a brilliant human. I wish that in life we told our friends, family and colleagues how much we appreciate and love them. My thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues."
"A beautiful tribute @tombradby. Spot on - there was always a laugh, a giggle. Just good fun, which in a workplace is an immeasurable quality," commented another.
A third added: "Tom, always does impeccable monologues when he does tributes to people, but this one felt special, and from the heart."
Emily's colleague Geraint Vincent was also praised by viewers for his moving tribute.
At the end of Saturday's News At 10, he informed viewers of the sad news with a slight tremble evident in his voice.
Taking a deep breath, he said: “Now, We regularly report upsetting events that affects people’s lives. Tonight we have something to report that has affected all of us at ITV news very deeply.
“It is the death after a short illness of our on-screen colleague and much-loved friend Emily Morgan our much loved health and science editor.
“Emily worked here for 23 years first behind the scenes as a producer, but for most of that time lighting up our programmes every day as a political and then health reporter.
“At 45 years old, she was at the very top of her game as anyone who followed her peerless reporting of the Covid pandemic will remember well.
“But she was also, as she wanted the world to know, a mum to her two cherished daughters, a wife, a sister and a daughter herself and it is with all of her family that our thoughts are with tonight.”
