Nicky Campbell says he's 'emotional mess' over Long Lost Family

What did you miss?

Nicky Campbell has admitted he's an "emotional mess" as he travels home from filming Long Lost Family.

The ITV show follows people trying to track down relatives after being apart for years, and is hosted by Campbell and Davina McCall. Appearing on BBC's The One Show, Campbell revealed that the moving stories hit him very hard.

He told host Alex Jones that filming sometimes left him in tears, but that those moments were edited out as the show wasn't about the presenters, but those being reunited with loved ones.

What, how and why?

Campbell explained how his emotions pour out after filming an episode, when he is travelling home. "I go back on the train after it and I am an emotional mess," he said. "Very often."

He went on: "There have been situations, Davina has been, as she said, when she gets home, I think she lets it all out. But there have been many times and situations where I have been speaking to people and I have cried. Thankfully, it is cut out!"

"It is not about us," he added. "It is about these amazing people... But it is inevitable, can you imagine?"

People looking for loved ones approach star in the street

Campbell also told how he is sometimes approached in the street by people hoping to find lost relatives.

He said: "I was in a taxi couple of years ago and he said, 'I've got a long lost brother somewhere'. We helped him out.

"You know, people do come up all the time. We find incredible situations of people saying, 'Can you help me?' We have to go through the process, we have to see if it's possible, but it has... you know, the films on Long Lost Family have come from people just coming up to us in the street."

Presenter says show is 'antidote' to the world today

Jones asked the secret to the show's success, saying that viewers can't seem to get enough of it.

Campbell replied: "I think in a world of trouble, in a world of strife, in a world of conflict, in a world of hostility, in a world of... everyone is having a go at each other, I think it is kind of an antidote to that.

"It is like the best of humanity, it's everything that we hold dear, the things that we cherish, a sense of belonging and of love. It's just such a privilege to be with people in genuinely the most profound and emotionally intimate moments of their lives - it's an amazing thing to do. I feel so privileged."

Read more: Long Lost Family

• Long Lost Family viewers heartbroken and in tears over 'incredible' story

• Long Lost Family helps solve 55 year mystery of The Euston Baby