Renee Salt has recently opened up on This Morning to Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary about her heart-wrenching experiences of the Holocaust.
While speaking with them on Tuesday (April 15), Renee was asked by the ITV presenters to share her memories of Bergen-Belsen and her time there.
Dermot expressed his disbelief at trying to comprehend such a situation: “We read so much about it, and we’ve seen the footage. But, from someone who was there, it just seems unimaginable.”
To this, Renee recounted: “I came to Bergen-Belson on a train from Hamburg, they stopped us in the middle of nowhere, they started screaming, ‘Get off the train, be quick.’ Which we did, we jumped off.
“We had to hold on to one another to remain standing, we were gasping for water, it was so hot already. It was April, it was hot. They lined us up and they took us to a hut.”, reports the Express.
Describing their journey to the concentration camp gates, Renee told how after being made to disembark from the train, they were led through miles of woodland: “They opened up the gates and we’re pushed through.
“The scene that greeted us is beyond words. Here, we saw skeletons walking, their arms and legs were like matchsticks. Their eyes bulged grotesquely out of their skull-like faces.
“Some wore nothing but tattered clothes, while others were completely naked. The stench emanating from the camp was beyond anything describable.”
Overcome with emotion, Renee shared the profound impact of those moments with Alison and Dermot, revealing the extent of their suffering was unfathomable.
With tears, she added: “This was something different, horrifyingly different.”
In other news, Renee shared her harrowing ordeal before she was moved to the camp, revealing that she was subjected to forced labour in Hamburg. She recounted: “We had to carry sacks of cement on my back.”
Highlighting Renee’s young age during these traumatic events, Alison pointed out she was just a child at the time. Overcome with emotion, Renee disclosed: “I still suffer from my back, I still suffer from my back. The pain never left me.”
This poignant moment stirred viewers, as many were brought to tears by Renee’s anguish.
One viewer expressed their empathy: “What a heartbreaking interview. I can’t begin to imagine what this lady has been through.”
Another shared their concerns: “This lady is obviously so distressed, I hope there is support there for her.”
Meanwhile, an additional comment read: “What a brave lady.. bless her.”
And a touched audience member admitted: “Tears running down my face as I listened to this most incredible and humbling woman who exudes courage in every breath. #ThisMorning @thismorning. We can never ever forget.”
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10am
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