ITV News' Charlene White shares health update on colleague Rageh Omaar

ITV News presenter Charlene White has shared a health update on her colleague Rageh Omaar after the star fell ill live on air.

The broadcaster left viewers concerned while presenting the ITV News At Ten programme late last month when he struggled to read the news bulletin.

ITV later said he had become “unwell” while on the show and that he was “receiving medical care”.

His colleague has now revealed that the ITV team are in daily contact with the 56-year-old ITV News international affairs editor as he recovers from his medical emergency.

The Loose Women presenter also explained that Omaar would open up about his experience in time.

Speaking at the 2024 TV BAFTA Awards, White told The Sun: “Rageh is doing really well.

“I think when he wants to talk about what happened then he will.”

Concluding: “ITV News is a family, we have been checking up on him daily and continuously in fact to make sure he has the support he needs."

While presenting the ITV News At Ten programme live on April 26, he appeared to struggle to read the news bulletin – sparking concern online.

In an statement shared at the time, an ITV spokesperson said Omaar is “recovering at home with his family” after receiving medical treatment in hospital.

“We are wishing Rageh a speedy recovery and look forward to him being back on screen when he feels ready”, the statement added.

The news presenter added in a statement shared by ITV: “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News, and our viewers who expressed concern.

“At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the programme. I am grateful for all the support I’ve been given.”

Born in Somalia and raised in Britain, he studied at Oxford University before pursuing a career in journalism.

After starting out on The Voice newspaper, he worked as a freelance journalist in Ethiopia and later became a foreign correspondent for the BBC.

In 1998, he was among three British BBC journalists who were arrested in Yemen and charged with breaking the country’s press and publications law by illegally filming information and violating instructions not to visit the area where tribesmen had kidnapped a British family.

Following a short trial, the Foreign Office said they had been found not guilty by a court and were set free.

During the Iraq war, he became known in Britain and America as one of the central faces reporting on the conflict when he worked for BBC News.

He was praised on his return as an “outstanding broadcaster and communicator” by the then-BBC’s World News Editor, Jonathan Baker.

After working for news channel Al Jazeera for a period, he joined ITV News as a special correspondent in 2013 and was later promoted to ITV News’ international affairs editor.

In the role, he is responsible for covering major news stories across the world.

Omaar was one of the main ITV presenters who reported on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018.

He was also stationed with the armed forces at Wellington Barracks to report live for the broadcaster during the Queen’s funeral.

The news presenter has also featured in a number of TV documentaries and published several books including Revolution Day: The Real Story Of The Battle For Iraq, which provides an account from his days reporting on the conflict.