Sunak and Truss debate: This could be why TV presenter Kate McCann fainted

On Tuesday 26 July, during a TV debate between the Conservative leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the presenter Kate McCann fainted live on air.

What happened?

The Sun’s Showdown: The Fight for No.10 was hosted by TalkTV journalist Kate McCann. It was meant to be co-hosted by The Sun political editor Harry Cole, but he pulled out last minute after testing positive for Covid-19.

Truss and Sunak had been debating tax, the state of the NHS, and the rising cost of living, as reported by the BBC. They were about half way through the hour-long debate and Truss had just begun answering a question about the UK's support for Ukraine, when a loud crash was heard. Truss looked shocked, putting her hands to her face and exclaiming 'oh my god.' She began to walk towards where McCann had been standing when the live feed was cut.

The channel began broadcasting again minutes after but cut to a different studio with presenter Ian Collins saying there had been a 'medical issue,' as reported by Sky News. He said:

Everyone is OK so that is the good news. Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are still currently in the studio chatting with readers and answering those questions.

A Sun spokesperson then said:

There was a medical issue, we hope to be back on air soon.

However, thedebate did not resume. TalkTV said in a statement, as reported by The Independent:

Kate McCann fainted on air tonight, and although she is fine, the medical advice was that we shouldn’t continue with the debate. We apologise to our viewers and listeners.

Audience member Jordan Kiss, from Warrington, told PA news agency:

We were honestly shocked by what happened and some of us were quite worried.

Kiss added that 'the producers reassured us and told us that a paramedic was on scene and that he was giving Kate attention.'

Why did she faint?

NHS psychologist and presenter Dr Sian Williams tweeted that the fainting episode could be due to the studio lights orstress, however this has not been confirmed:

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