Mark Mardell, the veteran BBC presenter who once reported from the White House and the European parliament, says he was left humiliated after Turkish Airlines refused to let him board a London-bound flight because of his Parkinson’s.

The broadcaster, diagnosed with the degenerative neurological condition three years ago, was prevented from flying from Istanbul to London Gatwick without a GP letter confirming he was fit to travel. Mardell, 68, then spent seven hours alone in Istanbul airport — one of the largest in the world.

“I feel so humiliated. It’s this terrible feeling that you are so vulnerable. I nearly burst into tears about five times,” he told The Sunday Times.

During appeals for help, he said one female employee looked at him and remarked: “Look at you — your hands ar

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