Former GMTV presenter John Stapleton, 79, who shared his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis publicly last year, died peacefully in hospital early this morning

Broadcaster John Stapleton has died at the age of 79.

The renowned presenter and journalist had Parkinson’s disease complicated by pneumonia and died peacefully in hospital early this morning, his agent confirmed.

Stapleton was best known for presenting on shows including BBC’s Watchdog and GMTV and Good Morning Britain. He was also one of Sky News’ original presenters.

After almost 50 years on screen – which included reporting on the war in Kosovo and four US elections – John shared his Parkinson’s diagnosis in October 2024, saying he refused to be ‘miserable’ and was ‘learning to live with it.’

A year on from his diagnosis, John died peacefully in hospital this morning. His agent, Jackie Gill, said in a statement today: “John had Parkinson’s disease, which was complicated by pneumonia. His son Nick and daughter-in-law Lisa have been constantly at his side and John died peacefully in hospital this morning.”

The sad news comes just days after John’s broadcaster son Nick appeared on BBC’s Morning Live to say that his beloved dad had ‘taken a turn for the worst.’

Journalist and broadcaster John Stapleton was a fan favourite on ITV daytime and worked at the station for many years (
Image:
ITV)
When host Gethin Jones offered Nick his best wishes he replied: “Unfortunately, Dad’s got a bit of a chest infection, and that can be pretty nasty if you’ve got Parkinson’s.

“And I just felt like I really needed to be there with him this weekend and get him some help. And thankfully, that is now in place, and I’m hopeful that, you know, he’ll be back on form pretty soon.”

Expressing his support, Gethin concluded, “Absolutely. Well, we send him all our love, of course.”

John bravely opened up about his Parkinson’s battle last year as he shared his diagnosis on Morning Live in a discussion with his son Nick.

He said: “Speaking is how I’ve earned my living for the best part of 50 years. It’s very frustrating sometimes, particularly [when] people are constantly saying to you: ‘Sorry, what did you say?’ And you have to repeat yourself, time and time again.

John’s son Nick appeared on Morning Live this week and said he was concerned about his father’s health (
Image:
BBC)
“I am fairly pragmatic about the prospect of this getting worse. I try to remain positive, because what’s the point of not being?”

He added: “There’s no point in being miserable… It won’t ever change.

“I mean, Parkinson’s is here with me now for the rest of my life. Best I can do is try and control it and take the advice of all the experts.”

Nick, who followed in his dad’s footsteps to become a journalist and broadcaster, said that, while his father’s diagnosis has been “really upsetting”, it did not come as a surprise because his grandmother also had the degenerative condition.

Stapleton on the BBC in 1976 (
Image:
BBC Archive)
In the UK, around 153,000 people live with Parkinson’s, a condition in which the brain is progressively damaged. John’s mother June was diagnosed aged 78 – the same age as him. It did not come as a surprise as she’d had signs for some time

Speaking about his mother, John said: “I witnessed my mother’s decline from this lively, ebullient, outgoing lady to a lady who is fairly fragile.

“One of the practical problems she faced initially was her inability to do things like open a can of beans or peel a potato. Believe it or not, I’m having the same problem, to some extent, myself right now.”

John went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis last year and said he refused to be miserable (
Image:
BBC)

Following news of his death, many of John’s peers and even his beloved Manchester City spoke out to pay tribute to the star who has been described as a ‘good man and a top presenter.’

Television presenter Mark Austin was among the first to speak out as he described John’s death as “incredibly sad”.

Responding to the news in a post on X, Austin wrote: “Incredibly sad. A good man and top presenter who could turn his hand to anything. Best wishes to his family.”

Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins said John Stapleton was a “brilliant broadcaster” and a “genuinely lovely man”.

Responding to the news in a post on X, Ms Hawkins wrote: “So sad to hear John Stapleton – our ‘Stapes’ has died. He was such a brilliant broadcaster and I loved working with him on GMB. A genuinely lovely man, it was good to see him when he came in just a few months ago to talk about his Parkinson’s diagnosis. He’ll be much missed.”

Money Saving Expert mogul Martin Lewis said he was ‘greatly saddened’ to hear ‘the great John Stapleton has passed away.’ Martin said: “He and his late wife Lynn were brilliant pioneers of consumer journalism, laying the ground for people like me. Thank you both.

GMB’s Susanna Reid, John Stapleton, Charlotte Hawkins and Laura Tobin (
Image:
Phil Harris / Daily Mirror)
“I had the pleasure of working with John on various incarnations of itv breakfast. Always a gent and when he found out I’m from a Man City background too, that was it, you couldn’t stop him on the subject. City was his great passion.”

Manchester City posted on X: “Manchester City are saddened to learn that John Stapleton has passed away at the age of 79. John was a passionate City supporter and a regular at the Etihad Stadium. He will be missed. Our thoughts are with John’s family and friends at this difficult time.” The club added “RIP John” with a blue heart.

Speaking to the Mirror last year, John spoke fondly of his varied TV career.

“I had a wonderful time. I’ve worked for the BBC, I worked for ITV, and there’s been a few ups and downs but, overall, I’ve been very lucky.”

John Stapleton with his late wife Lynn Faulds Woods and their son Nick (
Image:
EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)
John was asked to join TV-am in 1983 after he had already worked on Nationwide for the BBC and become a familiar face to viewers.

Over a 50-year career, John reported from the Falklands, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland for BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight. He also co-presented Watchdog in 1980.

He also ticked off a number of the UK’s biggest breakfast shows during his career from the BBC’s London Plus and Breakfast Time, GMTV, Daybreak and Good Morning Britain.

Away from work, John was a devoted family man married to former BBC Watchdog presenter and campaigning journalist Lynn Faulds Wood for 43 years before her death in April 2020.

The cancer campaigner was best known for hosting the consumer investigation programme from 1985 to 1993, alongside her husband John.

A statement from her family said she died peacefully “having suffered a massive stroke last night and a subsequent bleed on the brain”.

Describing her as a ‘pioneer’ in campaigning to raise awareness of bowel cancer, John said his wife had saved thousands of lives: “When Lynn started campaigning there were people in our business who couldn’t bring themselves to say the word cancer… Lynn would have none of that of course.”

He continued: “She saved thousands of lives. She was still doing it right at the end. She would always find some ray of hope.”

Mirror columnist Paul Routledge joined those paying tribute to John as he described him as a ‘natural broadcaster.’

Paul said: “John Stapleton was a keen young reporter on the long-gone Daily Sketch in Manchester in the late 1969’s when I knew him. Urbane, well spoken – you wouldn’t have known he was from Oldham from his accent – he was an adornment to the city’s very busy media scene. This was when Manchester was in its newspaper heyday, rivalling Fleet Street as a place to find fame.

|It was no surprise that he moved on, into television. With his good looks (I joked that he had a Dorian Gray painting in his attic, they never left him) and precise way of speaking and easy manner in front of a camera, he was a natural broadcaster. He had the kind of natural poise that put his interviewees at their ease.”