GMB’s Charlotte Hawkins details struggle while apart from daughter Ella Rose during 10 day isolation

Charlotte Hawkins has detailed her heartache at being away from her daughter Ella, five, and her husband Mark Herbert while she isolated for 10 days over a Covid scare.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 45, took to Instagram on Sunday to share a sweet snap with her daughter, and admitted to finding the ordeal ‘hard’ to deal with.

In her candid post, Charlotte admitted: ‘I can’t tell you how hard I found it having to self-isolate for ten days & how relieved I am it’s over and all is OK. 

‘Not being able to be near this special one… not being able to hug her was heartbreaking, but not knowing whether I had Covid or not meant I needed to keep my family safe.’

She went on: ‘I’m so relieved I escaped it & tested negative, I know so many others haven’t been as lucky.

‘Sending love to all those going through it right now, & thinking of all those facing a tough time at the moment who can’t hug their loved ones.

‘It makes you so thankful for what you have. If you’re able to, hug them close tonight! [sic]’ 

Charlotte is married to husband Mark Herbert since 2008, and they share one child – Ella Rose. 

The presenter returned to Good Morning Britain on Monday and chatted to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about the experience.

Charlotte was told to isolate after ITV’s own test and trace system informed her she had been in contact with someone who’d had the virus.

‘I was contacted because I had been in contact with someone here at ITV who later tested positive, and because we have got this tracking system here within ITV, I had to self-isolate for 10 days,’ she explained.

Susanna added: ‘And the reason you were in this situation and we weren’t as that only you had been in contact with this person and we hadn’t.’

‘Yes. I spoke to [GMB’s medical advisor] Dr Hilary [Jones] who gave me advice and I had to move to a different room, I had to keep my distance from my husband and my five-year-old daughter.’ 

‘To not be able to hug my daughter Ella Rose for ten days, was so hard, it was absolutely heart-breaking,’ Charlotte went on. ‘To try to keep my distance, to double mask, I had convinced myself that I did have it.

‘I am delighted to be here and emerge from that isolation having had two negative test results to reassure myself it was okay.’

Susanna asked her, ‘That’s not a requirement, is it?’ to which Charlotte confirmed it wasn’t.

‘I was so worried and I felt a huge sense of responsibility for keeping my family safe, it was a really tough thing to do, my heart goes out to people doing it up and down the country.

‘I am thankful that my family okay but my heart goes out to people not able to hug their loved ones.’

Charlotte has been keeping her Instagram followers updated on her self-isolation, creating a makeshift recording studio in her bedroom.

She has still been able to present her weekend show on Classic FM, regardless.

Clearly thrilled to be released, she took to the photo-sharing site on Monday to snap a behind-the-scenes image from the GMB studio, and another from her dressing room, showing off the leopard print dress she had chosen to wear for her big return.

The night before, she posted a snap with Ella Rose, detailing how hard it was to be away from her. 

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6AM.