Good Morning Britain’s cast and crew surprised Kate Garraway on her 50th birthday by bringing her children and her parents on to the set.

The presenter was left open-mouthed on live television when her colleagues unveiled the special visitors on Thursday morning.

At first she assumed the heart-warming video message from her children Darcey and William had been pre-recorded, but they joined her on the sofa seconds later, followed by her mum and dad carrying an enormous cake.

Kate was torn between joy and a flicker of concern as she cried: “Oh my goodness… you should be in school.”

The emotional moment marked one of a series of surprises set up by the ITV crew, who also aired a video montage of some of the presenter’s funniest moments on the show.

Co-presenter Susanna Reid presented her with a casserole pot packed with doughnuts and a voucher for a personal training session, while ITV weather presenter Clare Nasir mocked up a weather update reading: “Happy Birthday Kate – Beautiful, Clever, Funny.”

The show’s special guest of the morning, actor Woody Harrelson, also congratulated the presenter, praising her as “young and beautiful”.

But he wasn’t the only celebrity to wish her a happy birthday…