Nina Warhurst might be getting busy for the arrival of her third child, but the presenter touched the hearts of her fans as she shared a series of photos of her father, Chris, with her two children.
Chris was diagnosed with dementia in 2022, with the family initially believing his original symptoms were a result of the Covid lockdowns as opposed to a sign of his worsening health. Nina got a little emotional as she shared a series of black-and-white photos of her father with her two children, which were taken on the first day that people from separate households were allowed to mingle together under the 'bubble' system.
In one photo, Chris flashed a huge smile as he cuddled up with Nina's youngest son, Michael, five, and another snap saw the doting grandfather preparing to read both Michael and Digby, seven, a bedtime story.
In a touching caption, the presenter penned: "Phone reminded me it's 3 years today since the Covid bubbles came in - allowing people living alone to join another household I remember this day so clearly! Dad coming for tea, me crying, him remembering quite quickly that tiny kids are actually quite annoying and stealthily sliding out at bath time.
"As lockdown went on we didn’t realise it was dementia, rather than isolation, impacting his confidence and capacity to make decisions, and that he'd never really recover. We had some very special lockdown times though. Just us. Our bubble. I'll cherish them."
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The post clearly resonated with her fanbase, one of whom responded: "The way you write @ninawarhurst_ is so beautiful, heartfelt, reminding us all what a terrible disease dementia is but at the same time so joyful," while a second simply said: "You are a star."
A third wrote: "Hold onto every precious memory make each day count, I've visited my mum today and literally spoon feed her, her lunch, blank stares, and nothing back, it's so incredibly hard but we keep swimming," and a fourth complimented: "What lovely photos & memories."
Nina and her sisters, Amy and Mel, opened up about their father's diagnosis earlier in the year on BBC Breakfast, revealing how caring for him has impacted their lives after he was diagnosed last year.
Taking to Twitter, the mum-of-two showed her appreciation for viewers who reached out via social media. She wrote: "I'm just getting through some of the messages and will try to reply tomorrow. Thanks so much. It's a huge comfort to read other experiences."
My sisters showed Dad the @BBCBreakfast report. He recognised us all, and asked if we'd ever shut up," she said, adding a sighing emoji as well as a laughing emoji.
Nina, who recently opened up about the loss of her grandad, filmed a short feature for the show detailing the struggle of those suffering with dementia and the impact on their families.
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"We have been fortunate that my dad has never gotten angry," she said in the segment. "I know that can happen with different forms of dementia, but he didn't understand it was happening. When we had conversations about changing the set-up, maybe giving some respite care he thought nothing was wrong."
She continued: "Having to tell little fibs all the time just broke your heart but it was in his best interest. There were times when, 'if I don't fib to him to get us over this hump, we are not going to get there.'"