PIERS Morgan has paid an emotional tribute to "national hero" Captain Sir Tom Moore, following his death from coronavirus.

The Second World War veteran whose charity walks inspired the nation at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, died aged 100.

Capt Sir Tom appeared on Good Morning Britain, alongside the Newick-born journalist, to raise funds for the NHS.

The veteran, who was knighted by the Queen in recognition of his outstanding achievement, also starred in the ITV show Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.

The presenter said Capt Sir Tom was a " magnificent man" and "national hero".

READ MORE >> Captain Sir Tom Moore: national hero dies, aged 100

He wrote on Twitter: "RIP Captain Sir Tom Moore, 100.

"A magnificent man. A national hero.

"In our darkest hour since WW2, he rallied Britain with his resilience, courage and optimism.

The Argus: Captain Sir Tom Moore at his home in Bedfordshire after he achieved his goal of 100 laps of his garden (Joe Giddens/PA)Captain Sir Tom Moore at his home in Bedfordshire after he achieved his goal of 100 laps of his garden (Joe Giddens/PA)

"Let us all heed his mantra in our own lives: ‘Tomorrow will be a good day.’

"Thank you, Tom."

In the days running up to his 100th birthday the Royal Mail had to employ a special 20-strong team to deal with the huge amount of birthday cards.

The Royal Mail estimated that Tom received over 150,000 cards.

On the day of his birthday the RAF performed a flypast over his house, with the Army Air Corps performing a second flypast with a Wildcat and an Apache helicopters.

He leaves behind two daughters, Hannah and Lucy, and two grandchildren, Benji and Georgia.