Vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi has revealed that his uncle died from coronavirus last week.
The Tory MP has appeared on Good Morning Britain to reassure viewers about the vaccine roll-out and the efficacy of the Astra Zeneca vaccine.
But he left hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan shocked when he revealed that his uncle died of Covid-19 last week.
"I lost my uncle to Covid last week," he said. "It is grim and horrible but our way out of this is the vaccination programme. It makes me angry but it makes me determined to make sure that we vaccinate the most vulnerable people out there.
"Protect them as quickly as possible and then protect the whole nation. That is our way out of this and that is what we will ultimately do. I promise you, I will make sure that happens."
Stunned, Piers said: 'We're so sorry to hear that about your uncle. Can I just ask, did he have a vaccine? Was he entitled to one?
The MP explained: "No, he was entitled to one but sadly he got Covid before he got the vaccine. But obviously you have to wait 28 days for someone to recover before you can vaccinate them and he didn't make it."
Piers responded: "For you as the vaccine minister to have an uncle who simply didn't get the vaccine in time to protect him, that is heartbreaking and that shows to everybody how important it is. If you get that call, get down there faster than a greyhound.
"I'm really sorry to hear that and thank you for sharing that information with us because I think it is powerful to remind people of the terrible cost of this virus."
After the interview ended, Piers told viewers: "Wow. For him you could see that he wasn't sure whether he wanted to tell us that. I'm sure that part of him didn't want to be seen using it in someway.
"But actually personalising it in someway is important, it's powerful."
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV
