I’VE always wondered how TV and news presenters do it when they’re having to talk about something heartbreaking, live on-air, while still maintaining a level head, clear voice and some level of composure.
Are they superhuman? Do they have some sort of trick to help them block it out? In most cases, they probably do.
Brilliantly and rather beautifully this evening, Davina McCall proved that it’s not always possible to cope with that. I watched the same video she’d just watched on an old man called Bob, who was talking about the help he gets from a Sport Relief-funded service called SilverLine. The 92-year-old spoke about losing his wife to Alzheimers and how being able to call this helpline, day or night, is more of a lifeline to him, than just a phone number to call.
At the end of that film, I wouldn’t have even been able to read out the Sport Relief donation phone number to myself, never mind try to explain why it was so important to do so to millions of people. Davina managed it, but she made me worse as she struggled to get her words out, and a couple of times just had to stop, swallow, breathe and attempt to then read the number out.
In any normal circumstances, a TV presenter unable to deliver their lines properly might get a few titters from the audience, but that film had completely silenced the audience, and Davina’s reaction floored everyone in the studio as much as it affected us at home I’m sure - you could have heard a pin drop.
It was unintentional, but fitting and genuine. Not something you see very often from someone in her position.
To end on a more comical note, if you haven’t already done so, watch back the Sport Relief Only Fools and Horses episode featuring David Beckham…so worth it! While you do, it might be worth a donation if you can.
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