Ian Wright has lost his beloved mum and received the devastating news moments before going on air.
The 58-year-old former footballer was working ITV’s FA Cup coverage on Sunday afternoon (December 5).
But just 30 seconds before going on air at half-time, Ian learnt his mum had sadly passed away.
Ian Wright loses beloved mum
Ian’s mum Nesta passed away aged 94.
Presenter Mark Pougatch shared the sad news with viewers during the match.
At the time, Ian was covering Rochdale and Plymouth Argyle’s second round clash.
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Mark said: “Ian, I’m afraid is not [with us].
“A family bereavement, so he has gone to where he is most needed – with his family.”
A friend told The Sun: “Ian would be the first to admit he had a difficult relationship with his mum, but hearing your own flesh and blood has passed away is never easy.
“It’s upsetting news to hear for anyone.
“He was told just before he went back on air at half time, and wanted to be with his family, which ITV obviously totally understood.”
ED! has contacted Ian’s representative for comment on this story.
Ian’s troubled childhood
Meanwhile, Ian previously opened up about family during his BBC One documentary Home Truths.
The one-off documentary, which aired back in May, told the story of Ian growing up in an abusive home at the hands of his violent step-dad.
The former Arsenal striker lived in fear while growing up in an unhappy home surrounded by violence.
Ian also revealed that his mum physically hit him and cruelly told him she wished she’d had him terminated.
During the doc, he bravely shared: “My step-dad did some terrible things to me and my mum, but what made it worse was that my mum also took it out on me. She regularly beat me.
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“But it was the things she said that really hurt. What does come back to me, it was here, it was at this house, when my mum told me about termination, [that] she should’ve terminated me.
“She didn’t just say the word, she said, ‘Ian, I wish I terminated you’. She said it a few times to me, I knew what it meant.”
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