James Middleton took This Morning viewers by surprise as he appeared live on the show. The brother of Kate Middleton, the now Princess of Wales, was in the studio on Wednesday (February 8) to chat to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield with two very special, four-legged guests
The entrepreneur appeared on the programme to discuss how his late pet helped with his mental health. James was left heartbroken following the death of his dog, Ella, last month at the age of 15. In a heartbreaking Instagram post announcing Ella's death, James wrote: 'It is with great sadness that I announce my dear Ella has passed away.
"For 15 years Ella has been at my side, from my darkest days to my happiest. I’m going to miss her terribly. Ella had a very short illness, she slipped away in my arms at home and is now buried in the garden alongside Tilly. I took this picture just a few hours before she died.
"I'm just about holding it together to write this, and despite the fact I knew this day was coming, it doesn’t make it any easier. Goodnight my darling Ella, Alizee and the dogs will take good care of me."
The 35-year-old, who founded raw dog food brand Ella & Co which he named after his late pet, credited the black spaniel with helping him overcome his mental health struggles and introducing him to his wife, Alizée Thevenet.
"It was one of those moments that I realized when I suffered from clinical depression, and I came to each and every one of my therapy sessions, and it was during that time, I started to recognize the power that she had or the influence that she had in helping me verbalize some of the thoughts that I was having," James said of Ella on This Morning.
When Holly and Phillip asked him about how Ella helped him through some 'dark thoughts', James said: "Just [by] being the consistent in my life at that time, when a lot of my friends and family and people around me were trying to help, wanted to help, but it was difficult for me to let them help.
"But Ella would come with a shoe in her mouth. And it would be the suggestion of, 'I want to go for a walk. You're coming for a walk with me.'" He added: "Amongst many other things she was that one thing in me that was always there and would look me in the eyes and give me the confidence that everything was going to be okay."
James was on the sofa discussing the work that Pets As Therapy does with vulnerable people and was joined on the show by a representative from the charity, along with two doggy 'volunteers', Mabel and her 6-month-old daughter Isla. And This Morning viewers were surprised to see him and were left emotional by the subject of pet loss.
@MissLionHeart tweeted: "Yes, it's THAT James Middleton - as in Princess Catherine's brother #ThisMorning." @DeeDee49152440 said: "How Lovely is James Middleton Talking about Depression and the importance of pets, #MentalHealthMatters #ThisMorning." @BeddoesJill shared: "Absolutely beautiful dogs and what a lovely human being James Middleton is. #ThisMorning."
@briggs_ann commented: "Lovely to see James Middleton, talking about his beloved dogs, on This Morning." @AlisonSmart31 posted: "Such a lovely story about how Ella helped James & especially how she introduced him to Alizee! What a good cause too - helping raise awareness of charity Pets as Therapy." @s0phill added: "The whole story on ‘pets as therapy’ touched me so much. My pregnancy hormones cannot physically take it #thismorning."
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