Long Lost Family is like therapy for Nicky Campbell

VIEWERS find it a warm bath of emotion that brings tears of joy.

And for those involved, it can end decades of doubts and unhappiness.

But Nicky Campbell says ITV’s Long Lost Family has provided an invaluable antidote for him to dealing with the awful events that have shocked the nation this year.

Nicky, 56, hosts BBC5Live’s Breakfast Show and he was on air in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester Arena terror attack and the horrors of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

“I’d be quite happy to never have to report on things like that ever again in my life,” confides Nicky, who presents the TV show that reunites families alongside pal Davina McCall.

“I was at Grenfell the day after and the first time I saw the tower, I couldn’t help swearing. It’s too horrific.

“Long Lost Family is like therapy. It’s nice to be dealing with the positives of humanity and the lovely things in life.

“It’s so special to Davina and myself because it celebrates something beautiful.”

The Breakfast Show is broadcast from the BBC’s Salford studios, meaning that the Manchester bombing happened virtually on their doorstep.

And Edinburgh-born Nicky says that as a dad of four girls, the attack that targeted an audience of young, largely female, pop fans really hit home.

“All those young people were so excited to be going to the Ariana Grande concert,” he says.

“I remembered giving my little one Kirsty tickets to a Justin Bieber concert when she was 13. She danced round the room with joy and was so happy.

“We were all laughing. Then, on the night, she dressed up in her outfit and went with her big sister.

“I just thought about all those families who did the same and all those little boys and girls at the Ariana Grande concert when that happened.

“It’s impossible for it not to strike home when you think about your own family and loved ones.”

Being part of Long Lost Family, a show that changes lives for the better, is, says Nicky, a constant joy.

The new series is the seventh and it has become one of TV’s biggest hits.

The first episode features a divorced couple searching together for the son they were forced to give up for adoption when they were teenage sweethearts.

The reunion was as emotional as ever and Nicky says those moments never fail to take the breath away.

“People genuinely do forget that the cameras are there. You couldn’t script some of the stuff they say,” he observes.

“Being able to help people and being there at the most- incredible moments in their life is amazing.

“I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be doing this. There’s no doubt about it, this is the best job in television.

“It’s the job I’ll remember as long as I live.”