Ben Shephard looking sad on GMB today
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Ben Shephard ‘floored by grief’ following ‘shock’ death of close friend

He lost a close friend and said the grief 'comes in waves'

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Former GMB host Ben Shephard previously admitted that he had been “floored” by grief after the “shock” death of a close friend.

The 49-year-old made the heartbreaking admission during an interview with Reverend Richard Coles on Good Morning Britain back in 2022.

Ben Shephard speaking on GMB today
Ben opened up on Good Morning Britain (Credit: ITV)

GMB host Ben’s grief admission

During the edition of GMB, Ben made a heartbreaking admission. The host of Tipping Point and This Morning revealed to viewers that he had lost a very close friend, and had been “floored” by grief.

During an interview with Rev Richard Coles, Ben opened up about his loss.

His opening up came as a result of the subject matter being discussed – that being Richard’s documentary on grief.

“I lost a very close friend recently,” Ben said. “A really big shock out of the blue.”

Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway speaking to Richard Coles on GMB today
Ben opened up during a heartbreaking discussion on GMB (Credit: ITV)

‘It hits you suddenly’

The GMB host then continued, speaking about how he and his friends experienced grief.

“Another friend said grief is a bit like a wave. It hits you suddenly and then it sort of dissipates,” he said.

“Then suddenly, randomly, it comes back out of nowhere and it hits you again.”

He added: “That is certainly something I experienced.

“A little moment where I’m floored by a picture that pops up or a tune that suddenly comes on the radio that reminds me of my friend that we lost so dramatically and I’m back there and I’m in the middle of that grief.”

Ben’s support to Kate

The host’s understanding of grief was said to be immeasurable to his TV wife Kate Garraway following the death of her husband Derek.

After sharing that Kate and the kids were in “a bubble of numbness”, Ben revealed he had been supporting his pal of two decades.

As a result, viewers hailed him a “wonderful” friend.

Catch Ben on This Morning, weekdays at 10am on ITV1. He hosts Tipping Point weekdays at 4pm. Tipping Point Lucky Stars is on Saturday October 12 at 5pm.

The Very Best Ben Shephard Moments | Good Morning Britain

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Robert Emlyn Slater
Senior Writer