The broadcasting community gathered in London on Thursday to bid farewell to John Stapleton, the veteran journalist and presenter who has died aged 79. Susanna Reid, Eamonn Holmes and Penny Smith were among the many high-profile mourners who paid their respects to a man whose career spanned nearly five decades.
Stapleton’s death on September 21 followed a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, complicated by pneumonia. His family said he died peacefully in hospital with his son Nick and daughter-in-law Lise at his side.
The Oldham-born reporter began his career in local newspapers before rising through Fleet Street and eventually fronting programmes such as Newsnight, Panorama and BBC Breakfast Time. He later became a household name on GMTV, co-hosting The News Hour with Penny Smith for over a decade, and appeared alongside his late wife Lynn Faulds Wood on Watchdog in the 1980s.
At the funeral, Eamonn Holmes, supported by a walker, was seen joining Penny Smith, Susanna Reid, Dr Hilary Jones and former BBC director-general Greg Dyke among other colleagues and friends. Good Morning Britain creator Erron Gordon recalled how Stapleton and Smith would bring Christmas gifts for the crew every year, calling him “one of the good guys.”
Tributes poured in from across the industry. Susanna Reid, who worked with him when Good Morning Britain first launched in 2014, remembered him as “rock solid and generous.” Kate Garraway said she was “absolutely devastated,” describing him as “the ultimate gentleman” and “the most generous co-partner.” Sangita Myska praised him as “the epitome of collegiate behaviour.”
Stapleton’s resilience in the face of illness also inspired many. Last year he admitted the frustration of losing his speech clarity but said he tried to “remain positive, because what’s the point of not being?”
Beyond television, Stapleton was a lifelong Manchester City fan, often spotted at the Etihad Stadium. The club paid tribute, saying: “He will be missed. Our thoughts are with John’s family and friends.”
Stapleton’s remarkable career saw him anchor US elections, cover the Iraq War, the Boxing Day tsunami, and even Pope John Paul II’s funeral. Awarded RTS News Presenter of the Year in 2003, he remained a trusted presence on both BBC and ITV screens until 2015.
He is now reunited with his beloved wife Lynn, who died in 2020. For colleagues, viewers and fans, “Stapes” leaves behind not just a legacy of journalism but also kindness, humour and decency—qualities remembered just as fondly as his on-screen authority.
