Sean Fletcher credits Kate Garraway with teaching him the importance of family

Good Morning Britain star Sean Fletcher has revealed a candid conversation with his colleague Kate Garraway helped him realise the importance of his family.

The presenter, 46, told MailOnline he realised ‘nothing else matters’ when his family are thrown into a time of crisis, as Kate’s husband Derek Draper recovers from COVID-19 after being in a coma for several months.

Sean’s interview with MailOnline came as he prepares to host Bowel Cancer UK’s first ever virtual Christmas celebration, after his own mum Carol passed away from the disease in 2006.

Moving: Good Morning Britain star Sean Fletcher, 46, has revealed a candid conversation with his colleague Kate Garraway helped him realise the importance of his family

Detailing his conversation with Kate during the summer, Sean explained that his own son Reuben was hospitalised after being diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in 2015.

Detailing his son’s struggles in a Panorama special in 2018, Sean said his son now manages his condition with cognitive behavioural therapy.

He went onto tell MailOnline that seeing Kate – who has carried on working and caring for her two children while Derek remains in intensive care – helped him see how the important things in life can shift so drastically in a time of crisis.

Scary: The presenter told MailOnline he realised 'nothing else matters' when his family are thrown into crisis, as Kate's husband Derek Draper (pictured 2019) recovers from COVID-19

Scary: The presenter told MailOnline he realised ‘nothing else matters’ when his family are thrown into crisis, as Kate’s husband Derek Draper (pictured 2019) recovers from COVID-19

Sean said: ‘I remember going out in the summer and seeing Kate for the first time, and we got talking, this was before going on air. I was reading the news that day so I was probably on a bit earlier than her, so she was having makeup done and I was ready to go, and we just got chatting.

‘We’ve sort of got talking about how you you can plough on in your life with all sorts of things and so many things feel really important and then something will happen.

‘So for me I was talking to her about my son and it was like ‘oh my gosh none of that other stuff matters’ and of course her with Derek. 

‘Suddenly something happens and all those other things you thought were absolutely crucial are just not important and you know, we didn’t have a moment we weren’t hugging or anything like that, but just I just thought there was a moment of just oh yeah.

‘My wife’s not in a coma or anything but I do get that moment of ”oh yeah these things I was really worrying about are just irrelevant” and it’s the same, tying it in with having bowel cancer or any type of cancer.

‘You do all sorts of stuff in life and then suddenly you get that diagnosis and actually none of that other stuff matters it’s actually, you know, you’re hanging on for dear life, or someone you know is hanging on for dear life.’

Important: It comes as Sean prepares to host Bowel Cancer UK's first ever virtual Christmas celebration, after his own mum Carol passed away from the disease in 2006

Important: It comes as Sean prepares to host Bowel Cancer UK’s first ever virtual Christmas celebration, after his own mum Carol passed away from the disease in 2006

The Countryfile host also threw his support behind his GMB colleague Ranvir Singh, who has been showing off her moves on Strictly Come Dancing with pro Giovanni Pernice.

Despite being impressed with Ranvir’s surprise dance skills, Sean admitted he wouldn’t be so quick to sign up for the show himself.

He said: ‘I haven’t spoken to Ranvir for a bit but I’d spoken to her during the summer and it sounds like so much of a whirlwind.

‘A lot of people have done Strictly, it just is a massive whirlwind and it just takes you up and you just go with it and if you go with it, it’s brilliant and it can really work out very well and I and I think, there’s something quite alluring to that, you know that you just think there’s something I fancy about that. 

‘However I think it can go really badly. You can look like a really fool, in many ways I’d love to do those things but I would be very nervous about them yeah. I think anyone would.

Sizzling: The Countryfile host also threw his support behind his GMB colleague Ranvir Singh, who has been showing off her moves on Strictly Come Dancing with pro Giovanni Pernice

Sizzling: The Countryfile host also threw his support behind his GMB colleague Ranvir Singh, who has been showing off her moves on Strictly Come Dancing with pro Giovanni Pernice

‘I mean look at Ranvir, she’s having a ball, she’s having the best time, and I mean talking to Susanna, they all had amazing times. I think it’s great fun.’

Sean is set to host Bowel Cancer UK’s first ever virtual Christmas celebration, featuring stars such as broadcaster Charlene White and BBC journalist George Alagiah OBE.

The broadcaster explained its a cause close to his heart after his own mum Carol passed away from the disease in 2006 at the age of 54.

He said: ‘I only found out three weeks before she died, so for six months, I was I lived in Cardiff and she lived in Essex, so quite a long way away, but she managed to manage the situation so she didn’t tell me. 

‘I knew bowel cancer existed… but it’s actually really treatable and had my mum known about it earlier enough, you know, she’d still be here today… Everybody who loses their parents is devastated about it and completely blown away very quickly. 

‘I’d been asking my aunt… and she said just make sure you tell you love her and you know, I mean that was sort of the best advice I’ve had in all the most of my life.’

Bowel Cancer UK’s virtual Christmas celebration will take place on Tuesday 8th December at 7pm. Tickets are available now. 

SYMPTOMS OF BOWEL CANCER

Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum.

Such tumours usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps.

Symptoms include:

  • Bleeding from the bottom
  • Blood in stools
  • A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Extreme, unexplained tiredness
  • Abdominal pain

Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: 

  • Are over 50
  • Have a family history of the condition
  • Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel
  • Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease
  • Lead an unhealthy lifestyle  

Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy.

More than nine out of 10 people with stage one bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis.

This drops significantly if it is diagnosed in later stages. 

According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. 

It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute.