A SCOTS nurse frantically made an emergency call to ITV after Rageh Omaar began displaying worrying symptoms as he fell ill on air.
The journalist and anchor was at the helm of the flagship bulletin on Friday night when he became noticeably unwell.
Viewers watched as the 56-year-old began struggling to speak and appeared shaky on screen just minutes into Friday’s News at Ten.
And it prompted NHS worker Fiona Clark to call the newsroom and tell them that Regeh needed urgent emergency care.
Fiona, from Edinburgh, raised the alarm at 10.10pm on Friday from over 400 miles away from the London studio.
The former stroke nurse explained that the broadcaster’s International Affairs Editor had been “showing signs of a stroke”, according to the Sunday Mail.
Although the nature of Rageh’s condition is currently unconfirmed, he was rushed straight to hospital after the show and immediately received treatment.
Fiona studied at Dundee University and now works in intensive care and said Rageh’s struggle to read the autocue was a major red flag.
It would have been an absolute disservice as a nurse to see something like that and not do something, even hundreds of miles away in Scotland
Fiona Clarke
After calling ITV, she quickly took to X, formerly known as Twitter, in a desperate bid to get Rageh emergency help.
Fiona wrote: “I called you at 22.10 and told you as an ICU nurse who worked in stroke that @ragehomaar required an emergency ambulance.”
She added: “It would have been an absolute disservice as a nurse to see something like that and not do something, even hundreds of miles away in Scotland”.
The Mirror also reported that experts believe Rageh showed signs of a mini-stroke, which is called transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
And an ITV News source told the Mail on Sunday that Rageh refused to hand over his bulletin to another presenter after he began to fall unwell.
Calling it “an awful, awful night”, they added that “no one could get him out of his chair”.
They said: “The programme team were trying to replace him when they realised there was a problem.
“They sent the standby presenter to the set to take over but he insisted on remaining on air.
“No one could get him out of his chair. He refused to move.
“Even when he was told he had to go and that the team had called for medical help. Everyone did everything they could to help him.
I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes… At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the programme. I am grateful for all the support I’ve been given
Rageh Omaar
“Rageh is a consummate professional. He was determined to finish what he had started. It was an awful, awful night.”
An ITV News spokesperson confirmed last night that Rageh is now recovering at home after the ordeal.
In a statement, they said: “We appreciate viewers of last night’s News at Ten were concerned about Rageh Omaar’s wellbeing.
“Following medical treatment at hospital, he is now recovering at home with his family.
“We are wishing Rageh a speedy recovery and look forward to him being back on screen when he feels ready.”
Who is ITV News presenter Rageh Omaar?
Rageh has been a familiar face on British screens for years on both the BBC and ITV.
Rageh, 56, was born July 19, 1967 and is a Somali-born British journalist and writer – best known as a BBC world affairs correspondent, where he made his name reporting from Iraq.
He was born in Mogadishu, and moved to the UK when he was just two.
Rageh started his TV career at the BBC in 2004 where he worked in Ethiopia as the broadcaster’s first Africa correspondent.
In January 2013, he moved to ITV News where he became special correspondent.
The following year he was promoted International Affairs Editor and has became a regular fronting both the lunchtime and evening news bulletins since 2017.
On September 19, 2022, he was one of the Royal reporters covering the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.
Away from our screens, Rageh is married to Georgiana Rose Montgomery-Cuninghame and they have three children
Rageh also spoke in the statement and thanked his colleagues and fans for expressing their concern.
He said: “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News, and our viewers who expressed concern.
“At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the programme. I am grateful for all the support I’ve been given.”
However, bosses at ITV have come under fire after fans shared their anger over Rageh not being pulled off the broadcast sooner.
One even accused producers of failing their ‘duty of care’.
Posting on X, they fumed: “Hope you’re OK @ragehomaar. I was appalled to see that@itvnews let you continue the broadcast.
Recognising the signs of a stroke
THE signs and symptoms of a stroke vary from person to person, but usually begin suddenly.
As different parts of your brain control different parts of your body, your symptoms will depend on the part of your brain affected and the extent of the damage.
The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST:
- Face – the face may have dropped on 1 side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have drooped.
- Arms – the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm.
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you’re saying to them.
- Time – it’s time to dial 999 immediately if you notice any of these signs or symptoms.
It’s important for everyone to be aware of these signs and symptoms, particularly if you live with or care for a person who is in a high-risk group, such as someone who is elderly or has diabetes or high blood pressure.
Credit: NHS
“I’d have pulled you off at the first VT. Raises questions about duty of care.”
Another agreed, posting: “Just seen the video on TikTok of last night’s ITV News. I hope Rageh Omaar makes a full recovery.
“I’m genuinely surprised that nobody pulled him off air. Yes, it was a live broadcast but clearly he required attention.”
Former ITV News correspondent Angus Walker has also criticised the bulletin’s producers for not stepping in earlier amid the concern.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Angus revealed what goes on behind the scenes and said this scenario has played out before.
He wrote: “Wishing #RagehOmaar well. On a Fri eve the@itvnews newsroom is pretty empty even as News at Ten is on air but there is a duty Editor on call precisely to make any big calls.
“I’ve been asked to step in for a colleague who fell ill just before going live – can and has been done.”
The programme was later axed from being re-aired on the channel’s +1 service as the broadcaster confirmed he was receiving medical treatment.
ITV has been approached for comment.
