Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway donned ageing wigs and make-up to experience how it feels to be elderly for a new GMB campaign
Good Morning Britain presenters Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway have been aged 40 years by make-up artists to launch a new campaign to help the elderly.
The TV stars were fitted with grey wigs and made up with prosthetic wrinkles and age spots to get an understanding of how it feels to be older for the show’s 1 Million Minutes campaign.
Viewers of the ITV breakfast show will be asked to pledge their time, hopefully adding up to one million minutes, to volunteer for a lonely older person this Christmas.
More than a million people in England suffer from loneliness, according to Age UK.
Susanna said: “It was such a shock to see myself aged 40 years in just a matter of hours and it was a small insight into how it feels to look older.
“To think that there are around a million older people who are going to feel lonely and alone in December is upsetting and I really hope lots of people support our 1 Million Minutes campaign and make a difference to someone’s life.”
Kate added: “It was really strange looking in the mirror at myself, it felt like I was looking into my future. It made me feel quite sad too as I realised that when I will be that age lots of my loved ones will not be around any more.
“It is so awful to think so many older people will be lonely this Christmas and I’m really hoping lots of people pledge their time to this campaign.”
Viewers will be able to volunteer for a range of activities, including making a phone call to an older person for just 15 minutes, to a weekly or monthly commitment of two hours. They can also pledge to spend time with an older relative or friend that they have not seen for a while.
The campaign, which will feature Age UK, The Silver Line, Royal Voluntary Service and the Campaign to End Loneliness, will launch on November 29.
