Top Gear host Paddy McGuinness showed solidarity with striking nurses by joining the picket line at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
The TV presenter carried a placard saying “honk if you support fair pay for nursing” as he stood alongside members of the Royal College of Nursing.
And the big-hearted star brought boxes of hand warmers to help the nurses combat the freezing temperatures.
Paddy, 49 also handed out food and flowers during his visit.
Sue Middleton, a senior mental health nurse at Alder Hey, said: “The support has been overwhelming, and to have Paddy here was fantastic.
”He was lovely, posing for selfies with nurses and waving the union placard. He said he’s with us all the way.”
She added: “We’ve had so many people coming and joining us today, bringing us food and hot drinks.”
Some of the nurses on strike took to Twitter to share their gratitude to Paddy.
One wrote: “@PaddyMcGuinness thanks for your support.“
Another added: “@PaddyMcGuinness Thank you for showing your support to @RCN staff at @AlderHey today. Coco the dog loved it,“ followed by a red heart emoji.
Another nurse tweeted a selfie with Paddy and added: “Bad angle but bragging rights , cheers @PaddyMcGuinness, Paddy dropped off food and flowers #NursesStrike #FairPayforNursing #SafeStaffingSavesLives“.
Nurses across England and Wales are striking today, marking the first time the Royal College of Nursing has ever staged a strike in its 106 year history.
Tens of thousands of nursing staff walked out after being offered a 4.75% pay rise, which is well below inflation.
Not every hospital in the UK is affected by the strike, as action had to be voted for hospital-by-hospital.
A number of other celebrities have shared their support for striking nurses, too.
Former EastEnders actress Samantha Womack shared her support as she told Good Morning Britain viewers this morning: “Even at the cost of my own treatment being disrupted, I feel like they have to fight back. They’re doing such an incredible job and not being treated fairly.“
The former Ronnie Mitchell actress added she was a “huge advocate“ for nurses and praised the NHS staff who “looked after me so fantastically“ when she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
While Vanessa Feltz as she slammed people who criticise nurses for wanting fair pay and a safe work environment.
Speaking on This Morning, Vanessa began: “To blame the nurses for a situation where recruitment and retention is abysmal. They’re 100,000 nurses short, and that is not their fault.
“How are they supposed to shoulder the burden when they don’t have enough colleagues to do the work? When if God forbid they fail people could die as a result.
She added: “I just don’t get how anyone can blame nurses for this, it is not their fault or responsibility that they haven’t got enough colleagues to help do a safe job is it.“
