This Morning star Dr Nighat Arif has opened up about a deeply personal and humbling experience at the launch of her book, where not a single person turned up for the signing event, including her own family members.
A Quiet Book Signing in Chesham
The resident health expert on ITV's This Morning took to social media to reveal that only two books were purchased on the day of the event in Chesham. One was bought by Martin from Pure Body Fix, who introduced himself from across the street, and the other by Mark, the bookstore owner, who cheered her on from the sidelines.
Finding Humility in Disappointment
In a heartfelt video filmed in her car, Dr Nighat, 42, who has been appearing on This Morning since 2019 to share health advice, insisted she was not upset by the lack of attendance. Instead, she described the experience as humbling and grounding.
She told her fans: "You realise in that moment that no-one is coming. Yes, no-one came to my first book signing since my book launch that happened over a week ago. Not even my family showed up but, do you know what? I'm not going to blame them. Everyone's got their lives to live and it's OK."
Dr Nighat praised the kindness of Martin and Mark, noting that Martin might not have wanted a book but was roped into buying one, while Mark supported her like a proud friend. She reflected: "But that was me, two books sold today, and a whole lot for my heart to process."
Redefining Success Beyond Social Media
As she went about her day after the event, stopping to pick up groceries, Dr Nighat had an epiphany. She realised that the experience was not a failure at all, challenging the common perception of success often portrayed on social media.
"We post our highlights on social media all the time thinking when we do launches there's going to be queues of people, and our kids think success just means that there are a lot of audiences, followers and likes we get on all our posts," she said. "We have this false sense of security when actually, that's not the real world at all."
She shared this insight with her 15-year-old son, who tried to cheer her up, but she reassured him that she did not need comforting. Dr Nighat emphasised that having no attendees was not a failure, and she used the time to chat with staff, sign existing stock, and work on her next project.
A Powerful Message of Resilience
Dr Nighat captioned the video: "No one came to my book signing. Just me, my book and a silence that taught me more about success than applause ever did. Success sometimes isn’t loud - so make sure YOU show up for yourself. Don’t doubt your purpose."
Fans flooded the comments section with support, praising her for sharing the struggles that many can relate to. One fan wrote: "How many people get to sign their own book? You’ve already won big!" Another added: "This is so powerful. Thank you for sharing - this is a testament to how incredible you are."
Life-Saving Impact on This Morning
This incident comes after a recent segment on This Morning highlighted Dr Nighat's life-saving impact. In 2023, she detailed the symptoms of ovarian cancer on the show, urging viewers to get checked if they displayed any signs.
Debra Lamb, 62, was watching and noticed she had been experiencing bloating, one of the symptoms listed. She contacted her GP, underwent tests, and was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Debra credited the show with saving her life, noting that waiting a few more weeks could have been fatal.
During a recent appearance on This Morning, Debra met Dr Nighat and shared her emotional story. She explained: "I was just in my living room watching the telly and I see it come up and I thought, 'Oh, my stomach was a bit bloated'. I called the GP, got an appointment and had the test, and then three or four days later they called me back saying the markers were very high."
Debra underwent a nine-hour operation to remove the cancer and is now on antibiotics for life. She also tested positive for the BRCA gene, which heightens the risk of breast cancer, leading to her family members getting tested as well.
Emotional Reunion and Gratitude
In an emotional moment on the show, Dr Nighat and Debra struggled to hold back tears as they hugged. Dr Nighat said: "I can't cope - this is why we do the health items on This Morning. It validates all that medical information that we are seeing in our general practices, and I'm so thankful to the This Morning team, the producers, the researchers."
She added: "This is my bread and butter. I'm doing this all the time, but I can't really take that credit for any of this because it's my NHS colleagues, it's the staff, it's the oncologist, it's everybody in the NHS, my team here who put those items together. It really does take a village."
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
