When Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid learned that a girls’ school in Croydon, Surrey – her home town – had named a school house after her, she offered some motivational quotes to feature on the wall.
As well as ‘Take your opportunities’ – a mantra of her mum’s, which inspired Susanna to embrace the unknown – her personal favourite is ‘Do the work’, which is particularly fitting after Susanna fronted almost a fortnight of rolling daily news coverage following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September.
On the morning of Her Majesty’s state funeral, after co-hosting an extended live programme from outside Westminster Abbey with Ben Shephard, the pair watched a stream of pipers and drummers precede the royal coffin. ‘It was so moving and evocative. When they came into view, I thought, “Oh my goodness, I’m watching history,”’ recalls Susanna, who also describes feeling ‘a huge weight of responsibility’ to get the momentous coverage just right. She adds, ‘I hope we did the Queen proud.’
Without a doubt she did – and that’s thanks to experience. Susanna’s broadcasting career dawned 21 years ago when she presented her first programme alongside Bill Turnbull, who sadly lost a five-year battle to prostate cancer in August. She had only recently welcomed her first son, Sam, 20..
