Kate Garraway becomes emotional as she talks about grief with the parents of murder victim Leah Croucher

During this morning’s episode (Friday August 30), presenter Garraway, who lost her husband Derek Draper in January, was talking to the parents of 19-year-old Leah Croucher.

While mum-of-two Garraway was talking to Leah’s mum and dad, John and Claire, she clearly became emotional and had to reach for some tissues. She also asked the parents, who lost their daughter in 2019, if she could "give them a hug" at the end of their talk.

Milton Keynes-based Leah told her family she was going to work on February 15, 2019 - but was never seen again. Her body was found in October 2022. An inquest confirmed Leah had been killed by sex offender Neil Maxwell - who himself was found dead in a bike shed two months after her disappearance 2019.

It has taken police four years after her disappearance to come to a conclusion on her death, with the coroner's court only holding their session in June.

Leah’s parents suffered further pain and grief after Leah’s disappearance, as her older brother Haydon Croucher, aged 24, took his own life after being "tortured" by not knowing what happened to his little sister.

He was found hanged at his flat in November 2019 by his mum Tracey Furness the day before the nine-month anniversary of Leah's disappearance.

During the interview, Leah's parents addressed their double grief and also called for the prison service to be reformed.

While talking to 57-year-old Garraway and her and co-host Adil Ray, age 50, they told how police blunders prolonged their wait to find their missing daughter as probation services did not have her killer on their radar.

Claire told the hosts: "We put grief on hold for a little while because we had so much to do in the meantime. We are still grieving every day. We still miss her.

"We are very frustrated by the entire system. Getting to the inquest process took an year and a half and it felt like an extremely long time."

Garraway told them: "It's hard to fathom how you both are managing with this grief. Is there a way you remember Leah or you think about Haydon that helps you?

She then started to say: "I'm sure your campaign for justice does. . .” but she broke off as she saw Claire wiping away tears.

Getting out the tissues, Garraway said: "Oh goodness me . . .We are all in . . . I feel like that myself. How do you deal with it?"

Claire told how the pair take "each day one by one" and also said how dates such as birthdays and anniversaries are the hardest.

When the interview concluded, Garrway asked the pair: "Can I give you a hug?” "It wont help you at all,” she added, but co-host Ray told her "It will."

Garraway continued: "But everybody at home will be wanting us to do this, so let me give you a hug. Oh goodness me you're amazing, well done John."

Garrway’s husband Derek Draper died at the age of 56 in January. He was one of the UK's longest-suffering Covid patients, after being diagnosed in March 2020. He was hospitalised for over a year and continued to require round-the-clock care upon release. He returned to hospital with extreme complications in December 2023, during which time he sustained a cardiac arrest.