Girl, 9, who lost eyesight to brain tumour has This Morning viewers in tears: ‘Be more Betsy!’-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

This Morning viewers are urging themselves to ‘be more Betsy’ after a brave nine-year-old girl inspired the nation with her positive outlook on life.

Young Betsy Griffin, whose debut book Out of the Woods is out now and based on her powerful YouTube videos, lost her eyesight to a rare brain tumour but never let her illness or treatment get her down.

Speaking to This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughy, she said: ‘Each creature [in the book] has a positive mindset, and there’s several chapters – seven, eight I think – and each chapter is one of my videos.

‘There’s gratitude, there’s being in the moment. I think the Happy Hare in there gives such a positive message from one of my videos.

‘We’re always thinking about the past, we’re thinking, “Oh, I shouldn’t have done that”, and always thinking, “What’s going to happen next?” Just chill out, baby! Just chill out and be in the moment!’

Her dad Stuart admitted that despite endless hospital appointments and undergoing chemotherapy, Betsy – who is donating £1,000 from her book sales to charity for children with cancer – always saw each day as ‘wonderful’.

Betsy Griffin is an inspiration to us all (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

The nine-year-old girl lost her eyesight to a rare brain tumour (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

‘I sort of get it from my body, if that makes sense? It comes out of nowhere. I also think maybe it comes from my great grandad. He has actually gone through some tough times like me,’ she said, noting her late relatively got ‘shot in the leg’ during World War II.

She added: ‘She was always positive. He never moaned and he was always like me, he liked to do risky things… I think maybe I do share positivity and the bonkers-ness from him.’

During the pandemic, she was inspired to try and do something to brighten people’s lives through her YouTube videos, especially those who ‘aren’t even married’ or found themselves without family and friends.

This Morning viewers were moved by her story (Picture: ITV/This Morning

Viewers were left ‘in tears’ over Betsy’s positive outlook and heartbreaking journey, with plenty of people flooding social media with emotional messages.

‘Just watching @thismorning Omg wow that made me emotional.. she was amazing,’ wrote on viewer, while another added: ‘Betsy gave me goosebumps. What an amazing, intelligent, happy girl’.

A third person tweeted: ‘Wow wow wow Betsy you are an inspiration! Truly incredible…The best Monday motivation anyone could ever have!’

A fourth described her as a joy, and yet another echoed Holly’s calls for everyone to ‘be more Betsy’.

‘Blooming Betsy has me in tears now,’ tweeted a different viewer, with one parent adding: ‘If my children turn out like Betsy I’d be such a proud proud parent!’

This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.

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