I was putting on a mask....just trying to keep my head above water AK

SEAN FLETCHER Star hid family crisis from colleagues

- TOM BRYANT

At first glance, nothing would have seemed untoward for the millions tuning into Good Morning Britain that day.

With his bright smile and easy-going nature, Sean Fletcher was once more gently waking up the nation in his own inimitable style.

Little did they know that just seconds before going live on air, the same man had taken a deep breath and thought to himself: "Just get through this."

He says: "You have to go on and smile and pretend everything's great, as no one wants to switch the telly on and have a miserable news presenter. But I was basically putting on a mask."

Even his colleagues Susanna Reid, Charlotte Hawkins and Kate Garraway were none the wiser about how their colleague was suffering.

The problems lay at home with his then 14-year-old son, who was suffering with his mental health.

"He was unable to do basic things like get out of bed and go to school, Sean says. The teenager was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, which causes recurring thoughts and repetitive behaviours that cannot be controlled.

"The OCD was telling him that he shouldn't do those things or something bad would happen," says Sean.

His son was out of school for a year and spent six months in hospital.

This took a toll on Sean, and his wife, and his early mornings on GMB only made things harder.