This Morning viewers were overwhelmed with emotion after hearing a heartfelt poem a young boy wrote about his sister, who had cancer when she was a toddler.

On Friday’s edition of the ITV programme, three people – including two schoolchildren called Ben and George and a woman called Linda – were welcomed onto the show to read poems that they had written as part of a poetry competition, sitting alongside guest Gyles Brandreth on the sofa.

Ben was the first out of the trio to read his poem, explaining to co-hosts Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond that when his sister was only two years old, she was diagnosed with cancer.

He shared that his sister is now aged five and is in remission.

Ben’s poem began with him reading the line: ‘It’s not just gift wrap at Christmas that’s torn apart, when you have a sick sibling close to your heart.’

He then continued: ‘Colourful lights shining through weathered glass, nurses singing carols over machines bleeping fast.

Ben read his poem straight from the heart (Picture: ITV)

‘Hoping to one day be a happy family, to laugh, run and play, with my sister, cancer-free.

‘But until then, we live in a state of unease, snatching every second we can in normality.’

His poem ended with him repeating the first line, stating: ‘It’s not just gift wrap at Christmas that’s torn apart, when you have a sick sibling who’s close to your heart.’

However, at the second mention of ‘torn apart’, he ripped up his poem, and then when he said ‘close to your heart’, he crossed his arms over his chest.

The This Morning presenters were in awe of his beautiful words, with Alison telling him: ‘That’s lovely! That’s so lovely Ben.’

Dermot told Ben how impressed he was that he didn’t even read the poem off his paper, saying: ‘You didn’t even look down, it’s in there.’

‘The poem’s called torn apart. That’s why poetry is important, it lets people let out their feelings,’ Gyles said, as Ben agreed that writing poetry helps him express his emotions.

Several viewers were moved by his poignant poem, with one person tweeting: ‘I’m going to cry I already know.’

‘Aw what a lovely poem, love to the lads family what a little fighter his sister is and him too!’ someone else said.

‘That’s got me right in the feels,’ another person wrote, alongside a crying emoji.

This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.

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‘That’s got me right in the feels,’ one viewer said.