GMB's Kate Garraway emotional as she hugs grieving mum after daughter's death

Kate Garraway offered a shoulder to cry on for Claire Croucher during Friday's emotional segment of Good Morning Britain, as the mum broke down recalling the tragic loss of her daughter Leah.

Claire, alongside her husband John, was visibly moved as they publicly addressed their daughter's death for the first time since the harrowing event two years prior.

Leah Croucher disappeared in 2019 while walking from her Milton Keynes home to work, never reaching her destination. Her remains were only found three years later, in 2022.

A murder investigation ensued, and on 14 October 2022, police identified a deceased man as the suspect.

The interview commenced with Adil Ray probing the grieving parents: "How do you feel at this point? You must still be grieving, because two years is not a long time. But do you feel angry? Do you feel frustrated with the investigation, Claire?" reports the Mirror.

Struggling for composure, Claire responded: "All of those things in all honesty, you put grief on hold for a little while because we've had so much to do in the meantime. So yeah, we're still grieving every day, we still miss her, and we're very frustrated by the entire system, the inquest process and getting to that point took over a year and a half, and it just felt like an extremely long time."

Kate then questioned the couple about their views on reforming the system for managing offenders, asking: "Gosh, so do you feel the process of the decision to release and the decision to allow him out, which ultimately put him in a position to devastate all your lives, that was flawed?"

John claimed: "It was completely flawed. They have a system called Visor....that the probation service and the police work together using Visor. Neither of them were using it properly."

When asked to clarify what Visor was, Claire described it as a database where "the police can write information as can the probation service."

Kate probed further: "So there is a co-ordination with this system? " to which Claire confirmed with a nod, adding: "Yes. He's supervised under Mappa, which is a multi-protection agency. So multi-agencies write on Visor and they're meant to check the data there, and the probation service didn't check the Visor system for the four years that they had been involved with him."

John also shared the additional heartbreak he faced when his son Haydon died not long after Leah's death.

Kate inquired compassionately: "Is there a way that you remember Leah or a way you think about Haydon that helps you? I am sure your campaign for justice is a passion and a cause?"

Interrupting herself, Kate reached out for a tissue as Claire began to cry, saying: "Oh goodness me,".

Apologising, Claire responded as Kate asked: "How do you deal with it?"

"We take each day one by one," Claire confessed. "Some days are easier than others. Obviously, birthdays, anniversaries, and things like that are difficult. So we just sit in and don't really talk to anybody."

As the interview drew to a close, Kate embraced Claire, expressing the collective sentiment of the audience: "Everybody at home will be wanting us to do this, so let me give you a hug. You are amazing!"

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.