There’s a lot of things to love about Sunday Night Takeaway, but hands-down, The Happiest Minute is one of the best parts of the show, nay, the week.
If you’re unfamiliar with how it goes down, Chris and Julia have one minute (although let’s be real, it’s more like three minutes) to surprise as many people in the audience as they can with a free holiday. These people have been secretly nominated for the prize by friends, family or colleagues. Therefore, all the winners are basically angels that have had some hard times and are in need of a little cheering up. It’s honest, genuine, and one of the most heart-warming things happening on TV right now.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 tear-jerking moments we’ve seen so far. Get ready to feel all the feels.
1. Here’s Patricia, her husband passed away last year and at 85 years young, she’s decided to renew her passport and not give up on life. You do you, Patricia!
2. Lily was diagnosed with cancer at 8-months-old and has been through countless treatments of chemo, all the while staying so strong with a smile on her face. Here’s her reaction to finding out she’s going on her first holiday - a trip to Hawaii. The tears are real.
3. Jennifer’s son surprised his mum with a heartfelt message. She is a rock for their family and was always there for her sick daughter, Shari. Even though Shari has now passed away, Jennifer has continued to show so much strength and courage for their whole family. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
4. Dani took in her son’s best friend, Jake when he needed a home. She hadn’t seen Jake in 5 years and he flew from Japan to deliver her the surprise boarding pass in person. BEST SURPRISE EVER!
5. Justine started a dance school in her community for kids with special needs, as her own daughter loves to dance and there was nowhere that would cater for her. She has now taught over 200 children with special needs. What an actual angel.
6. Kelly’s 5-year-old son was diagnosed with a rare cancer. This week, after many tests and treatments he’s finally been given the all clear. Now she can relax and reboot with a holiday. Honestly, look at her face. It’s too much.
7. After Amanda and Matt lost everything in a huge house fire, their friend Karen gave them everything they needed and helped them rebuild their lives. They nominated her for the free holiday, and then Chris and Julia gave them tickets for a holiday too. It’s a double surprise and it’s so damn beautiful. Everybody gets a holiday.
8. Courtney, this young girl, saved her Dad’s life by giving him emergency CPR and over 600 chest compressions. He literally would not be alive if it wasn’t for her acting fast that day. He even submitted this beautiful message which had us wiping tears off the keyboards at our desks.
9. Karen and Ryan lost their 6-month-old baby, Rio. They started a charity called Rio’s Legacy to help raise money for children’s hospitals and have already raised over $200,000. These people deserve 200 holidays.
10. Finally, we have Max. He was told by multiple doctors that he’d never be able to walk and look at him proudly standing, jumping with joy at a free holiday - defying all the odds.
BRB, calling our loved ones.
It was honestly so difficult to pick just 10 out of all these amazing stories of strength and selflessness - and we still have more episodes to come!
