Liz Bonnin has said she is “broken” after her mother died from coronavirus over the Christmas period.

The television presenter thanked NHS doctors and nurses for the “extraordinary” way they cared for her.

She also criticised what she called the “ongoing mishandling of the pandemic”.

The Countrywise presenter, 44, tweeted: “I lost mum to Covid this Christmas. I am broken and there is a lot to heal.

“It’s hard to put into words just how extraordinary the NHS nurses and doctors have been, how patient and kind as they led me through every detail of mum’s condition that I hung onto, how composed despite the nightmare they’ve had to endure for far too long now, how privileged we are to have the NHS.

“It strikes me once again, thanks to the faceless angels I spoke to on the end of a phone, often in the dead of the night, just how beautiful we humans can be – compassionate, dedicated, strong, selfless, brave, honest, empathetic – traits that as a society we seem to have forgotten we are all capable of as we continue to deepen the divides between us out of fear, out there in the world.”

Bonnin said countries should focus on preserving the health of their citizens rather than trying to pursue “monetary gain”.

“My world crumbled as I watched her suffer the consequences of what we continue to prioritise in much of the global north at the cost of environmental and human health, in an age of blind partisanship, rampant misinformation and absurd conspiracy theories,” she said.

“I dearly hope that in my lifetime we will collectively wake up and reject our addiction to monetary gain and short term political goals, and recognise the true value of connectedness, community, wellbeing, kindness and caring for our planet and each other – no matter our age.”

Bonnin said elders used to be “revered”, adding: “My mother was not a less important human. Nor was she just a statistic.”