Sophie Raworth's father, Richard, passed away just days before she led the BBC's VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations. The 56 year old newsreader concealed her personal grief as her beloved father succumbed to Parkinson's disease - a progressive neurological condition that affects movement - while she was guiding the nation through the commemorations in London on Monday May 5. In a statement to the Daily Mail newspaper's Eden Confidential column, the family said: "[Richard] died peacefully after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. [The businessman, photographer, jazz bass player and passionate gardener was] a man with a big heart and heaps of kindness and tenacity. We will miss him always."

Despite mourning the loss of Richard, Sophie continued to fulfil her role in presenting the BBC's VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations. The events featured 'Harry Potter' actor Timothy Spall reciting Sir Winston Churchill's famous victory speech next to the late wartime Prime Minister's statue in Parliament Square, members of the armed forces marching from Parliament to Buckingham Palace, and the iconic Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster Bomber flying over the Royal residence.

The 80th anniversary of VE Day - marking the end of World War II in Europe - falls on Thursday (08.05. 25), with King Charles and Queen Camilla scheduled to attend a special service at Westminster Abbey.

The royals will also be present at a large-scale concert.

At Horse Guards Palace in Whitehall, London, a colleague who wished to remain anonymous spoke about the star's performance on Monday (05.05. 25), saying: "It's terribly sad, but Sophie was the consummate professional, as always."

Sophie, mother to Ella, Oliver and Georgia with her estate agent husband Richard Winter, has previously discussed Richard's battle with Parkinson's for "several years". In 2021, she revealed that she had participated in the London Marathon to raise funds for the Cure Parkinson's charity, which her father had supported.

On her JustGiving fundraising page, she shared: "My dad has had Parkinson's for several years now."

It is a horrible disease. Yet he deals with it amazingly.

He never complains, just gets on with it with kindness and good humour. ".