Liz Bonnin reveals her mother died from Covid at Christmas

Liz Bonnin has revealed she tragically lost her mother, Bonnie Murray, to Covid at Christmas. 

The presenter, 44, who is best known for hosting wildlife and science programmes including How the Earth Works and Animals in Love, said she is heartbroken following her death. 

Liz announced her mother’s passing on Twitter on Tuesday and said Bonnie was a ‘victim of the ongoing mishandling of the pandemic’.  

The presenter wrote: ‘ I lost mum to Covid this Christmas. I am broken and there is a lot to heal. 

‘It’s hard to put into words just how extraordinary the @NHSuk nurses and doctors have been, how patient and kind as they led me through every detail of mum’s condition that I hung on to, how composed despite the nightmare they’ve had to endure for far too long now, how privileged we are to have the NHS. 

‘It strikes me once again, thanks to the faceless angels I spoke to on the end of a phone, often in the dead of night, just how beautiful we humans can be – compassionate, dedicated, strong, selfless, brave, honest, empathetic – traits that as a society we seem to have forgotten we are all capable of as we continue to deepen the divides between us out of fear, out there in the world.

‘I don’t know how to start healing from the way mum had to die but what I do know is that she was a victim of the ongoing mishandling of the pandemic, and the blatant misunderstanding of what it takes to contain the virus and therefore protect the economy. We didn’t listen to and act on the science.’

Liz said her ‘world crumbled’ as she watched her mother ‘suffer the consequences in an age of blind partisanship, rampant misinformation and absurd conspiracy theories’.

She continued: ‘My mother was not a less important human. Nor was she just a statistic. We have it in us to be better. 

‘The NHS heroes I’ve had the honour of speaking to and sometimes of seeing briefly at the ICU doors that I couldn’t go through, who not only took care of my mum but of me too, and many thousands of others, are testament to that.’ 

Dozen’s of Liz’s followers took to the comment section to offer their condolences. 

One wrote: ‘So very very sorry Liz’, while another follower added: ‘So eloquently written, Liz. So very sorry for you/your family’s loss. May she Rest In Peace.’

A third chimed: ‘Powerful words Liz.’  

Liz was born in Paris to her Trinidadian mother Bonnie, of Indian and Portuguese descent, and her French-Martiniquan father, who was a dentist.

 Her family moved to Ireland when she was nine years old. The presenter Bonnin has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Trinity College, Dublin.

She also holds a master’s degree in wild animal biology and conservation from the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Veterinary College. 

Since 2005, Liz has been involved in science broadcasting. She presented the show Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets in 2005 and co-presented the BBC science series Bang Goes the Theory on BBC One from 2009 until 2014.