Cat Deeley: This Morning presenter breaks down in tears over emotional clip of Rob Burrow

This Morning's Cat Deeley broke down in tears after watching an emotional clip of the late rugby player Rob Burrow following his death aged 41 from motor neurone disease (MND).

Deeley who hosts the ITV morning show alongside Ben Shephard was overcome with emotion on Tuesday as a clip of the late Leeds Rhinos player featured Burrow speaking posthumously to his fans in the BBC documentary, There’s Only Rob Burrow, which aired the previous night.

Burrow “passed away peacefully at Pinderfield’s Hospital near his home surrounded by his loving family after becoming ill earlier this week”. The 41-year-old was diagnosed with MND in December 2019 and had recorded a moving final message for his fans before he passed away, encouraging them to “be brave”, "live in the moment" and to continue "to dare to dream". His final words ended the segment with, "Rob Burrow, over and out".

Following watching the clip, This Morning presenters Shephard and Deeley looked visibly emotional as Shephard said: "Gosh, such a powerful message and a wonderful smile. Rob is survived by his wife and children, of course, and his parents.”

He continued: "He recorded that for a documentary about him - There's Only One Rob Burrow - which is available on iPlayer and certainly worth watching." Deeley who was visibly overcome with emotion was comforted by Shephard who offered her his hand and asked: "Are you okay?" She replied: "No, I told you I watched it this morning."

Deeley’s voice wavered as she tried to talk, the This Morning host said: "Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things you will ever go through, which is why Dierdre is here to help you manage your grief today."

Burrow’s touching last appearance featured in the BBC documentary, which is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer. In the segment, he reveals his hope for a “cure” for MND, saying: “I hope one day we find a cure and live in a world free of MND. By the time that you watch this I will no longer be here. I am just a lad from Yorkshire who got to live out his dream of playing rugby league.”

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also sign up to her free weekly column in the NationalWorld newsletter bringing you the latest tv and film news every Thursday.