ITV News presenter Rageh Omaar has been hospitalized for medical treatment after experiencing health issues live on air, the network has confirmed.
During Friday’s broadcast of the News at Ten programme, Omaar encountered difficulty reading the news bulletins, sparking concern among viewers and on social media.
Omaar, 53, previously a foreign correspondent for the BBC and currently serving as ITV News’ international affairs editor, was attended to after becoming unwell during the broadcast.
“We are aware that viewers are concerned about Rageh Omaar’s wellbeing,” stated an ITV News spokesperson. “Rageh became unwell while presenting News at Ten on Friday and is now receiving medical care. He thanks everyone for their well wishes.”
Following the incident, ITV opted not to air the programme’s scheduled repeat on ITV+1, informing viewers that the +1 service was temporarily unavailable but would resume shortly.
Marverine Cole, a newsreader colleague of Omaar’s on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, expressed her support on social media, wishing Omaar “all the very best.”
Rageh Omaar began his journalism career in 1990 as a trainee at The Voice newspaper in Brixton, London. He gained prominence for his reporting during the Iraq War in 2003 while with the BBC.
Having freelanced as a foreign correspondent in Ethiopia in 1991, much of his work was broadcast by the BBC World Service. Omaar officially joined the BBC as a correspondent in 1997, stationed in Amman, Jordan.
Currently, Omaar covers major global news events for ITV News and hosts the current affairs programme On Assignment.
Originally from Somalia, Omaar was born in 1967, attended Cheltenham Boys College, and studied modern history at Oxford University.
