Watch the moment Anne Diamond enjoys a welcome surprise on GB News as her sister gets in touch to serve a “reminder”.
Anne’s sister contributed to GB News Breakfast by sharing her experience of Rome, where thousands are gathering to mourn the late Pope.
Tributes have been pouring in from around the world after the 88-year-old died following several weeks of battling illness.
“My sister has just got in touch”, Anne said.
“She has reminded me that back in the ‘70s, she went on holiday with my mum and dad and her best friend.
“They went around Rome. She just happened to be there just after the death of John Paul I. We paraded past his body. It was quite a sight.”
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GB News’s Ellie Costello is in Rome to report on the Pope’s death, and Anne noted it will not be an experience she forgets in a hurry.
“Ellie will never forget it”, she said on GB News. “You’re part of history when you’re in Rome and something like this happens.”
Eamonn Holmes added: “Rome is such a beautiful city as well.”
Anne said two of her sons, who have never been to Rome, are now planning to visit Rome but are having trouble with the trip’s logistics.
“It’s difficult to know whether you want to be there for this, for the funeral or for the Conclave and hopefully the announcement of the new Pope”, she said.
“You’ve got to try and time it and it’s very difficult to know how long this process will take.”
The death of the Catholic leader came just one day after Easter celebrations.
“Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a statement.
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis died at 7:35 on Monday morning.
Cardinal Farrell praised the pontiff’s dedication to “the service of the Lord and His Church”.
The Pope had made his final public appearance just hours before his death, appearing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, April 20, to wish the gathered crowd a happy Easter.
The Holy Father had been hospitalised on February 14 at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for bronchitis, later receiving care for double pneumonia.
His condition suffered a “sudden worsening” on February 28 due to bronchospasm, which limits oxygen intake by narrowing airways.
Francis had served as the head of the Catholic Church for nearly 12 years since 2013.