BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt was joined by Sarah Campbell in the studio on Saturday morning

BBC Breakfast star Sarah Campbell delivered heartbreaking death news just minutes into the latest show.

During Saturday’s (September 27) broadcast of the popular morning show, Sarah and her co-host Charlie Stayt brought viewers up to speed with the latest developments from across Britain and internationally.

They were accompanied in the studio by Mike Bushell, who took care of the sports coverage, whilst Helen Willetts provided regular weather updates.

At the start of the programme, Sarah disclosed the heartbreaking death of Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner, who has passed away at a Swiss assisted dying facility alongside her husband Michael.

“The 96-year-old had escaped a Nazi ghetto as a child, before going on to forge a successful career in the arts. The Holocaust Memorial Trust described as an extraordinary woman,” the presenter continued, reports the Express.

BBC Breakfast

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Sarah Campbell announced tragic news on BBC Breakfast(Image: BBC)

The Polish-born actress is understood to have passed away last weekend at the Pegasos facility near Basel.

Ruth and her spouse Michael, aged 97, sent an email to their relatives and friends on Tuesday (September 23) to notify them of their choice to die, according to playwright Sonja Linden, who informed BBC News that she had received it.

In the message, which was initially reported by The Times, the pair stated they were “sorry not to have mentioned it, but when you receive this email, we will have shuffled off this mortal coil”.

They added: “The decision was mutual and without any outside pressure. We had lived a long life and together for almost 75 years.

“There came a point when failing senses, of sight and hearing and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve.

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Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner has died at the age of 96(Image: BBC)

“We had an interesting and varied life, except for the sorrow of losing Jeremy, our son. We enjoyed our time together, we tried not to regret the past, live in the present and not to expect too much from the future.”

Sonja Linden honoured her dear friend, calling Ruth “the most vibrant, amazing woman,” whilst describing Michael as a “remarkable, clever, intellectual man”.

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, added: “Although then in her 80s, [Ruth] made it her mission to speak to as many young people as possible about her experiences during the Holocaust. She hoped that the leaders of tomorrow would learn the lessons of the past.

“Ruth was one of a kind. Full of charisma and warmth, she left an impression on everyone she met. We will miss her.”