Good Morning Britain star Susanna Reid supported a grieving mum as she opened up on her “horrific” ordeal on Tuesday (November 25).
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During the morning’s broadcast of the popular ITV show, Susanna and her co-host Ed Balls brought viewers up to speed with the latest developments from Britain and beyond.
Laura Tobin was present in the studio providing regular meteorological reports, whilst Ranvir Singh covered additional news items.
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Later in the programme, Susanna and Ed spoke with Debbie Duncan, Jay Slater’s mother, who has endured horrific online harassment following her son’s death. The 19-year-old tragically died after disappearing in Tenerife last summer.
“The mother of Jay Slater, who tragically died after going missing in Tenerife last summer, has stepped up her campaign for a new law to tackle online trolls,” Ed explained, reports Wales Online.
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Jay Slater’s mum Debbie appeared on Tuesday’s episode of GMB(Image: ITV)
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Susanna continued: “Debbie Duncan is calling for Jay’s Law to be introduced, which would stop grieving families from experiencing horrific abuse like she did.”
The 19-year-old disappeared whilst on his first overseas holiday with friends. Following a painstaking 29-day search, the teenager’s remains were discovered by a mountain rescue team in the steep Juan Lopez ravine.
An inquest concluded that he died from head injuries after accidentally losing his footing and falling. Jay’s family were living through a nightmare, but the horror continued online, too.
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A social media frenzy when Jay went missing sparked an onslaught of conspiracies that continued even after his body was found. People posted saying Jay had been murdered or caught up in a drug deal, with some even accusing his mum of being involved.
Discussing the difficulties she’s encountered, Debbie said: “It’s difficult. The pain of losing a child. Just trying to fight through it, but it’s not been easy, especially with all the noise in the background that continues on a daily basis.”
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Susanna Reid comforted the grieving mother(Image: ITV)
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She continued: “It just took a turn, the dark side of social media reared its head… The story at the time was it was all a set up and I was involved and we were going to run away with this money and Jay was going to appear.
“I wish that had been the case, that he was going to appear, but that’s still obviously used against us now.”
Debbie also disclosed that she’d even been sent photoshopped images of her son during his disappearance, leaving the stunned ITV presenters visibly shocked. “It needs to stop,” she said.
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At the end of the moving interview, Susanna expressed her gratitude to Debbie for speaking out, saying: “Debbie, thank you for being with us. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through… Honestly, I’m so sorry, so, so, so sorry. And lots of love and good luck.”
As the host extended her hand to console Debbie, the bereaved guest fought back tears in a touching moment.
