This Morning star emotional as Grenfell survivor describes losing unborn baby
This Morning presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard were left emotional as they spoke to Grenfell Tower survivor Marcio Gomes on Wednesday's show.
Marcio, a survivor of the devastating 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that claimed the lives of 72 people, including 18 children, shared his heart-wrenching story with the presenters of This Morning.
During the emotional conversation, Marcio, who resided on the 21st floor, recounted the tragic loss of his unborn child.
His wife was seven months pregnant at the time of the fire, and he poignantly recalled the moment at the hospital when medical staff broke the news: "At the hospital, they came to me and said-sorry."
As Marcio paused to collect himself, Cat was visibly moved to tears.
Tragically, his wife was in an induced coma and they were faced with a devastating decision, resulting in the stillbirth of their baby.
Ben offered words of condolence, saying: "It's heartbreaking to hear what you've been through, you and all of those other families."
Reflecting on the fateful day, Marcio told the ITV presenters that he was awoken by a neighbour in the early hours, alerting him to the fire.
Cat asked when he realised the gravity of the situation, and Marcio admitted it wasn't until an hour after discovering the blaze, reports Wales Online.
He explained: "When I really understood how bad it was, we've had fires in the tower before; it's not generally a problem, it's contained. Of course, that night, it was very different."
Marcio recalled the initial moments after opening the door to his neighbour, with the lights still on and being reassured by the 999 operators.
He added: "When I first opened the door to my neighbour, the lights were on; I couldn't really see much going on, phones 999, and it was, 'stay put, you're safe there'. Which was fine, and that was the advice we went with."
During an intense interview on This Morning, Marcio described the harrowing moment he realised escape was imperative: "It was awful, it was something I'd never experienced before."
Viewers of the daytime TV show were informed that Marcio had desperately contacted the fire brigade four times, initially being reassured that assistance was coming, before it became clear they needed to flee.
In a terrifying recount, Marcio revealed: "As I looked into our bedroom, the fire came through our window. It set the curtains, the Moses basket, and basically my room alight.
"I only had time to close the door, at that point I said, 'We've got to go, it's now or never'. We couldn't stay in the flat anymore."
The gripping tale took another turn as Cat explained how Marcio was separated from his children in the thick smoke as they made their way down. However, they were miraculously reunited outside and ushered into an ambulance for safety.
This Morning is available to watch on ITVX. Grenfell: Uncovered is available to watch on Netflix from June 20.
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2 days ago
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Grenfell survivor breaks down in tears recounting agonising moment medics were forced to choose between saving the life of his wife or child - as Cat Deeley steps in to comfort him on This Morning
A Grenfell survivor broke down in tears on This Morning as he recounted the agonising moment medics were forced to choose between saving the life of his wife or unborn child. Marcio Gomes featured on Wednesday's instalment of the ITV show and sat down with journalist Peter Apps and presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard in an emotional interview. The grieving father lived on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower with his wife, who was seven months pregnant, and two daughters. A fire broke out in the tower block on June 14, 2017 and spread throughout the building, leading to the loss of 72 lives. Following the eight year anniversary of the tragic night, Marcio recalled what happened to his family and how his unborn son, Logan, sadly passed away as a result of the fire. 'I was woken at 1.15am in the morning with the neighbour banging on the door which I'm forever grateful because if it wasn't for that, we would've been sleeping,' Marcio recalled. The grieving father lived on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower with his wife, who was seven months pregnant, and two daughters Cat explained how 'the fire brigade were told the 'stay put' rule, which is essentially you stay there for 2 hours'. Marcio's family began preparing wet towels but eventually realised they needed to leave the flat and go against the fire brigade's advice. 'Probably about an hour into it I would say when I really understood how bad it was, we'd had fires in the tower before, not generally a problem,' he said. 'Of course that night it was very different,' he added. An hour into it when I tried to go into my neighbours house and I opened the door it was pitch black, the lights were on but it was pitch black. He described the 'really thick' smoke and added: 'It was awful, it was something I've never experienced before... as soon as you breathed that in you was just gagging, it was a horrific smell, it was something I can never really describe that well. 'That's when I knew it was really bad.' After multiple calls to the fire brigade, the family and neighbour decided they would have to try and make their own way down. They attempted to leave the flat twice but Marcio described the moment that made them realise they had to go. 'As I looked into the bedroom, fire came through the window and set basically the room alight. At that point I said we've got to go, it's now or never, we couldn't stay in the flat,' he said. Cat looked emotional and she said: 'There was so much confusion at the time, you couldn't see anything, you were supposed to be behind the girls and you were taking them down and then you kind of lost them within the smoke. 'When you finally get to the bottom of the tower, you see each other again, you get taken into an ambulance but your wife, who is seven months pregnant and asthmatic, they have to make a terrible decision.' Marcio broke down into tears as he replied: 'At the hospital, they came to me and said they and to make that decision because my wife was obviously alive, they had to go with her, which I said, yes, that's the choice.' Cat leant forward to comfort Marcio and kindly pat his knee as she looked tearful too. The blaze, which was the worst in Britain for more than a generation, was accelerated by deadly combustible cladding and many of those who died had been told to stay in their flats. It resulted in the deaths of 72 men, women and children, including multiple generations of the same families, living in the 120-apartment tower, built in Kensington - one of London's richest areas. The fire triggered mass protests about building standards, following months of concerns from Grenfell Tower residents about safety following its refurbishment. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. Ben read out a statement from The London Fire Brigade commission which said: 'On the night of the fire, the brigade faced the most formidable challenge that any fire service in the UK has confronted in living memory. 'In 2019 the brigade accepted every recommendation from the Grenfell Tower enquiry phase one report and have since implemented significant changes to how we operate.' Ben then went on to read a statement from Arconic which said: 'Our thoughts remain with all those affected and their families and friends. 'Arconic architectural products along with others has made financial contributions to settlements for those impacted, we support all efforts to strengthen the regulatory oversight in the construction industry.' Earlier this year, Angela Rayner revealed the apartment tower would be dismantled after concerns over damage, but this has been hit with backlash. Ben also read a statement from the Government's Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and said: 'We will deliver the change needed so this can never happen again by taking decisive actions to speed up the mediation through the remediation acceleration plan and deliver the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower enquiry.' This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 from 10am and is available to stream on ITVX.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
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This Morning star emotional as Grenfell survivor describes losing unborn baby
This Morning presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard were left emotional as they spoke to Grenfell Tower survivor Marcio Gomes on Wednesday's show. Marcio, a survivor of the devastating 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that claimed the lives of 72 people, including 18 children, shared his heart-wrenching story with the presenters of This Morning. During the emotional conversation, Marcio, who resided on the 21st floor, recounted the tragic loss of his unborn child. His wife was seven months pregnant at the time of the fire, and he poignantly recalled the moment at the hospital when medical staff broke the news: "At the hospital, they came to me and said-sorry." As Marcio paused to collect himself, Cat was visibly moved to tears. Tragically, his wife was in an induced coma and they were faced with a devastating decision, resulting in the stillbirth of their baby. Ben offered words of condolence, saying: "It's heartbreaking to hear what you've been through, you and all of those other families." Reflecting on the fateful day, Marcio told the ITV presenters that he was awoken by a neighbour in the early hours, alerting him to the fire. Cat asked when he realised the gravity of the situation, and Marcio admitted it wasn't until an hour after discovering the blaze, reports Wales Online. He explained: "When I really understood how bad it was, we've had fires in the tower before; it's not generally a problem, it's contained. Of course, that night, it was very different." Marcio recalled the initial moments after opening the door to his neighbour, with the lights still on and being reassured by the 999 operators. He added: "When I first opened the door to my neighbour, the lights were on; I couldn't really see much going on, phones 999, and it was, 'stay put, you're safe there'. Which was fine, and that was the advice we went with." During an intense interview on This Morning, Marcio described the harrowing moment he realised escape was imperative: "It was awful, it was something I'd never experienced before." Viewers of the daytime TV show were informed that Marcio had desperately contacted the fire brigade four times, initially being reassured that assistance was coming, before it became clear they needed to flee. In a terrifying recount, Marcio revealed: "As I looked into our bedroom, the fire came through our window. It set the curtains, the Moses basket, and basically my room alight. "I only had time to close the door, at that point I said, 'We've got to go, it's now or never'. We couldn't stay in the flat anymore." The gripping tale took another turn as Cat explained how Marcio was separated from his children in the thick smoke as they made their way down. However, they were miraculously reunited outside and ushered into an ambulance for safety. This Morning is available to watch on ITVX. Grenfell: Uncovered is available to watch on Netflix from June 20.
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Children's play area to be moved after neighbour complained about the noise
Children's play area to be moved after neighbour complained about the noise The MUGA site at Hailey Park in Llandaff North is a multi-use games area and has been at the heart of disagreement between residents in recent months The popular MUGA in Hailey Park which residents have been fighting to keep (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) A children's play area in Cardiff is to be moved elsewhere after a neighbour complained about noise. The MUGA site at Hailey Park in Llandaff North is a multi-use games area and has been at the heart of disagreement in recent months after one resident complained about the noise. It was reported that a resident received a payout of over £1,000 after complaining. The Llandaff North resident complained to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales after he felt his complaints had been ignored by Cardiff Council, saying the noise from a children's play area in Hailey Park was having a "substantial" impact on his life. When the council then announced in January that they would have to remove the popular children's play area, residents were left outraged at the prospect of children being left with no free activities in the area. You can read the full story here. But now Cardiff Council has confirmed they will go ahead with their plans to remove the play area and relocate it elsewhere. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here . It comes as part of the council's Neighbourhood Renewal Scheme (NRS) programme for this year, which they say aims to underscore its "continued commitment" to invest in communities across the Welsh capital. With the help of the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Funding and the additional council funding, more than £2m has been secured for 27 projects this year. Article continues below According to the council, these schemes strive to "enhance neighbourhoods and improve quality of life for residents". 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When Cardiff Council announced in January they would have to remove the popular children's play area, residents were left outraged at the prospect of children being left with no free activities in the area (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) When asked by WalesOnline how much it would cost to move the facility and to which location, a representative of Cardiff Council said they were unable to confirm these details as of yet. It was previously reported by WalesOnline that, following the disagreement about the facility's future, Cardiff Council said it would maintain the park's existing play facilities until alternative provision was in place and they had secured funding to develop these plans. Meanwhile, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales also told the council to pay the complainant £300 for the inconvenience and if it was not resolved in eight weeks he would be paid £75 a week. The resident complained to the Ombudsman who found that Cardiff Council's response had "failed to advise Mr M what stage of the procedure it was being issued under or how he could escalate his concerns further." Since March therefore, he has received £900, alongside the initial £300 lump sum. A group of park users dedicated in improving the park - Friends of Hailey Park, described the response as "reactive" and expressed their disappointment that a new funding stream had been made available following a single complaint, despite being "persistently told there are no new monies for the developments in Hailey Park". They added: "More lessons need to be learned in protecting children's free play in nature and open parkland, in protecting existing communities cohesion and social spaces and in protecting public money when housing and other developments are being planned. This situation should not become a precedent." Following the complaint, the popular play area was ordered to be removed, which would have left children in Llandaff North with no free activities in the area. However, after over 1,000 residents signed a petition calling for the multi-use games area (MUGA) to stay, the council previously said they would no longer remove it but instead work to find a solution whilst engaging with local residents. Speaking to WalesOnline, residents were particularly frustrated by the prospect of the MUGA being removed after the basketball hoops were removed due to a complaint from the same resident in 2019. One resident who lives opposite the MUGA said she had never heard any noise and enjoyed seeing kids walk past. Another added: "At the end of the day we are living opposite a park – what do people expect?" However, in response to these concerns, a spokesperson for Cardiff Council at the time said that they were "committed to maintaining the park's existing play facilities for local residents until alternative provision that mitigates the noise nuisance is in place." They added: "Funding to enable the development of these plans has now been secured through the Council's neighbourhood regeneration programme. Article continues below "Initial engagement with local school children and information sharing with the wider community will begin shortly, with a view to resolving the noise issue and delivering improved facilities for the community as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the Council has agreed to comply with the recommendations set out by the Ombudsman."
