ITV newsreader, Paul Brand, has assured fans he’s ok after presenting last night’s News at 10. The Welsh journalist, who joined the ITV News team in 2016 before becoming the presenter of current affairs programme, Tonight, in 2022, is one of the most recognisable faces on the channel.
However, on Monday night, Paul’s face sparked concern as several viewers took to social media saying one of his eyes looked swollen and appeared considerably lower than the other. Dispelling concerns that he’d an “allergic reaction” to something, Paul took to Instagram, setting the story straight. Explaining his toddler’s “grubby fingers” were to blame, he shared: “For those asking, the dodgy eye is just a product of a toddler’s grubby fingers. Hopefully less red tomorrow.”
Paul isn’t the first newsreader to alarm viewers with their appearance. Earlier this year, BBC broadcaster, Clive Myrie, caused concern when one of his eyes also appeared to be dropping.
During a live News At Six broadcast, Clive’s left eye appeared to close up, prompting many watching at home to urge show bosses to get him to a doctor.
One wrote online: “I hope Clive Myrie’s OK. A lot of us are noticing his droopy eye.” Another asked: “Is Clive Myrie OK? His eye’s drooping.” While a third added: “What’s the matter with Clive Myrie’s left eye?”
Clive, who also hosts brainbox quiz Mastermind, cleared up the issue shortly after on X, reassuring viewers it was nothing serious. He wrote: “Happy N.Year everyone and thank you all for your concern over my left eye.
“It’s nothing serious, just an infection. I did think about wearing an eye patch, but the boss said no! A bit like Long John Silver. He wasn’t having any of it! Cheers.”
The BBC quickly confirmed there was no cause for concern, saying “Clive is fine and just has an eye infection.”
Back on ITV, seasoned journalist, Rageh Omaar, worried viewers last year when he became unwell during a live broadcast. The star had to “receive medical care” after he became “unwell” live on-air, ITV confirmed.
Viewers watching the News At 10 were concerned when the the 57-year-old host became disoriented and appeared to slur his words while reading an autocue towards the end of the bulletin. Rageh, the ITV News International Affairs Editor, was seen struggling to clear his desk and re-cap a pen following the final news story of the night and as the end credits began to roll – sparking concern online.
It was later confirmed that the journalist did suffer an undisclosed sickness – but was recovering at home after receiving medical care. A spokesperson for the news programme confirmed that the journalist was taken to hospital where he received treatment before returning home where he was being supported by his family.
Thanking fans for their support, Rageh 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.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
