“No one in the studio was ready for this…” — an emotional moment on The Late Late Show as an Irish grandmother is reunited with her 13-year-old grandson, Austin Appelbee — the boy who once swam for hours to save his family — leaving the entire room in tears 💔

SHOW SURPRISE 

Irish gran brought to tears in emotional reunion with hero grandson, 13, who swam 4hrs to save family swept out to sea

AN Irish grandmother was brought to tears after an emotional reunion with her heroic grandson on The Late Late Show tonight.

Austin Appelbee, 13, swam across 4km of shark-infested waters after strong winds pushed him and his family’s inflatable paddleboards and kayak offshore at Quindalup, in south-western Australia earlier this year.

A man with gray hair seated at a desk facing a woman, an older woman, three children, and an older man on a studio set.
Austin Appelbee and his family made a surprise appearance on The Late Late ShowCredit: Instagram

 

A woman covering her face while a man speaks next to her, with a folder from "The Late Late Show" on her lap.
Grandmother Doreen was left in tears during the emotional reunionCredit: Instagram

The brave teenager first tried to paddle back to shore in his kayak to get help after his mum Joanne Appelbee – originally from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan – decided this was their only chance of survival.

Austin set off alone on the inflatable kayak before eventually abandoning it as it took on water and ditching his lifejacket to commit to an exhausting swim through rough seas.

The family had been in the water for around 10 hours when they were eventually rescued.

Joanne and her two young children were more than eight miles from the shore and clinging to the paddleboards in the pitch dark.

Austin’s grandmother Doreen appeared on The Late Late Show tonight, where she spoke to host Patrick Kielty about her grandson’s incredible bravery.

But the presenter had a huge surprise in store.

Doreen was left in tears as her daughter Joanne and grandchildren Austin, Beau and Grace walked out onto the RTE studio stage.

The family had secretly flown to Dublin from Australia just days earlier to pull off the heartwarming reunion.

RTE viewers all raced to social media afterwards to praise the heartwarming moment.

One fan said: “Such a lovely and well deserved surprise. Delighted for them.”

Another wrote: “Fabulous young boy. Lovely surprise, well deserved.”

A third added: “Beautiful.”

 

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