Holly Willoughby holds back tears talking to mum of boy facing life support decision after attempting TikTok craze
09.06.2022 - 15:37
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Holly Willoughby appeared to be keeping her emotions in as she spoke to the mum of a young boy who is facing having his life support switched off. Hollie Dance is fighting to save her 12-year-old son Archie Battersbee alongside his dad, Paul.
The parents believe their son Archie may have been taking part in an online challenge when he was found unconscious at home. He is now at the centre of a life support treatment dispute which claims that parts of his brain have died. Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, think the youngster is “brain-stem dead”.
They say life-support treatment should end and the youngster should be disconnected from a ventilator. His parents, from Southend, Essex, say the youngster’s heart is still beating and want treatment to continue. A decision will be made in the coming days after Mrs Justice Arbuthnot finished overseeing a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London on Wednesday (June 8).
READ MORE: ITV This Morning viewers ask 'what's the point' as they're divided over Alison Hammond segment
Appearing on This Morning on Thursday (June 9), Hollie spoke to host Holly and her co-star Phillip Schofield about what happened on the day of Archie's accident. She recalled how she and her "energetic and happy" son had been sharing a joke about their pet rabbit just moments before she found him.
"He’s then left, gone a bit quiet. I’ve pottered around, come out my bedroom and called him," Hollie, who fears Archie may have been participating in the viral ‘blackout’ TikTok challenge, said.
"As I’ve looked to the right the rabbit is at the top of the stairs and then I’ve seen Archie the other side of the banister.
"First of all, I thought he was