NOW I FEEL FANTASTIC ’
‘My doctor told me to lose weight…
Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid talks to Nathalie Whittle about the truth behind her incredible new figure, fighting back tears on TV and the secret way she copes with Piers! ➺
Susanna, 48, lives in south London and has three sons with her ex-partner Dominic Cotton: Sam, 16, Finn, 14, and Jack, 13. She is in a relationship with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish.
THE PROBLEM WITH PIERS…
When Piers Morgan joined Good Morning Britain in 2015, I’d been teetotal for seven months. Believe it or not, he drove me to the booze again!
At 6.01am every morning, I would think, ‘I can’t do this.’ He’s not afraid to say the most personal and provocative things, which I found infuriating. I tried ignoring it at first, before realising he was determined to prod and poke me until I was forced to have an opinion on something. When I did, he started to back off. That was definitely a turning point in our relationship. He now says he’s drained out of me the BBC neutrality that I carried with me for the first 20 years of my career – he’s right. Actually, it’s turned out to be a good thing.
My secret to dealing with him now is having epic levels of Zen. We argue on and off air – our pre-show editorial meetings are challenging. When I start to feel my blood boiling, I have a word with myself and say, ‘No, Zen!’ then I calm down. I also remind myself that you have to feel for him a bit. Recently, he was boasting about being named Heat magazine’s ‘Secret Crush 2019’ – that’s the only award he’s won since he’s been on the show. Let’s be honest, he could only ever be someone’s secret crush, because who would ever admit to it?
I quit drinking again late last year, and it’s definitely had an impact on our relationship. It’s really wound Piers up because our social life together has disappeared. He thinks there’s no point in us going to our old hangout, the Groucho Club, any more because there will no longer be shots until 2am. For me, it’s sparkling water until 9pm then bedtime – that’s not exciting enough for Piers!
Despite his annoying traits, I’d consider Piers a very good friend. He’s the person I’d call at 3am if I was in a crisis. I know that wherever I am in the world, he’s the one who would get me out of a hole. Not a lot of people get to see that he’s very generous, too. There’s always a nice bottle of something on birthdays and at Christmas – Champagne or perfume. Although, I do remember when he got me a Venus flytrap… that didn’t go down so well!
SCREEN SECRETS
One of the toughest things about
GMB is keeping my emotions in check. I struggle not to break down in tears when something terrible is in the news. There was a period recently when teenagers were being attacked with knives right on my doorstep in south London and, as a mum of teenagers, that really affected me. I just hope that when my emotions come through, it’s what people at home are thinking, too.
I mess up all the time – whether it’s forgetting someone’s name or getting timings wrong – but I don’t see it as a bad thing. It happens to us all, and the secret is to roll with it. Piers and I covered the Oscars in Hollywood this year and we were interviewing Mark Ronson when suddenly I heard in my earpiece, ‘We can’t hear Mark’s microphone.’ So I got up off my stall, went and stood next to him and said, ‘Right, let’s share a microphone.’ We can’t pretend things don’t go wrong, they do and, actually, we’re at our best when everything is a little chaotic!
We have a Whatsapp group where we discuss our dream guests; my number one is Michelle Obama. I’ve just started reading her memoir, Becoming, and there’s so much I’d love to ask her: what was it like being first lady, what does she think about Melania Trump and would she run against Trump in the US presidential election? I hope I’ll be asking the questions for real one day.
If I’m honest, I don’t have any ambitions
to do anything different. I’ve never been somebody who sets goals and thinks, ‘I need to do that,’ or ‘I need to be there at a certain age.’ I think you can disappoint yourself if you set targets. My attitude to work has always been to take your opportunities when they come. And if that means I’m still doing this in five years’ time, then I’ll be very happy.
A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER ME
This time last year, I went to the doctor with a skin problem and he told me I could do with losing some weight.
It turned out I was at the upper end of my BMI and, I have to admit, I’d been feeling a little heavy for a while. With being up so early for work, I’d got into the habit of ‘calorie grabbing’ because I was constantly trying to build up my energy. By the end of the day, I’d have eaten more in snacks (the unhealthy type!) than I’d eaten in meals. So I decided to cut out snacking and stick to three healthy meals a day, such as fruit for breakfast and a stir-fry with prawns, cherry tomatoes and pumpkin seeds for lunch – and I cut out alcohol.
I’ve lost a stone and a half since then and I feel fantastic. My BMI is now in the healthy range and my skin is better, too. I’ve had people message me on social media recently and say, ‘You’ve lost too much weight!’ – but it’s nonsense. You can’t base your weight on what other people say; all you can do is what makes you feel healthy. And I definitely feel healthier.
I’m not going to pretend I’m a saint now. I still eat toast with butter and Marmite, and I’ve been known to sit down with a whole load of chocolate éclairs and demolish the lot. I’ve also had a couple of glasses of bubbles (and a margarita!) over the past couple of months, but let me tell you, the hangovers are so much worse! ➺
‘All you can do is what makes you feel healthy’
‘Life is really good right now. I feel incredibly lucky’
My exercise regime is a work in
progress. I gave up going to the gym a while back because I’d get home and go, ‘Oh, I’ve been to the gym, so I’m allowed to stuff my face now.’ Funnily enough, that equation wasn’t working out terribly well. I’m determined to find a new class I enjoy, so if anyone’s got any good ideas, please share them with me.
FLAWS & FIXES
I often look at pictures of myself and think, ‘Wow, I don’t like that.’ But that’s normal, isn’t it? There are more bad pictures of me in existence than there are good, that’s for sure. But the fact is that I’m a real woman, I just happen to be on TV, and I’m quite proud of that.
I wouldn’t rule out cosmetic surgery. ‘Never say never’ is my mantra. I’m not saying I’d have it tomorrow, but I think you should do whatever it is that makes you feel good, and if it’s that, then go for it.
I have a spray tan once every fortnight and, quite frankly, it covers a multitude of sins. I also have a facial a few times a year and, just as I’m about to have it, I think to myself, ‘What have I let myself in for?’ You’re sat there for an hour and a half and they’ll say, ‘And now I’m putting this special ointment on…’ Ten special ointments later, I come out with bright pink skin and I’m not sure I look much better. The things we do in the name of looking good!
HAPPY RELATIONSHIPS
I want to keep my new relationship private, but I will say that I’m very happy right now. Life has its ups and downs but, at the moment, it’s really good and I feel incredibly lucky. It’s funny, though, because more people seem to think I’m in a relationship with Piers than they do my actual partner! Fortunately, I can assure you that Piers and I keep things strictly professional.
I don’t think I look for anything different in a relationship now to what I did 20 years ago. You just want to get
on with someone and have a nice time, don’t you? Now that my boys are getting a bit older, they’re becoming a lot more independent. I used to always make sure I was there when they got home from school, whereas now they’re happier if they can have a couple of hours in front of the TV without me there. It means I’m able to have a bit more independence, too, and I’m really enjoying it.
The kids don’t necessarily need me less now, but they need me in a different way. With little ones, it’s obvious what they need all the time, but it’s not so clear with teenagers, so it’s about keeping my eyes and ears open. Dinner time is really important in our house; phones are banned at the kitchen table and although there’s not a pressure to talk, it’s sort of an open forum for the kids. They can offload about school, friends, about anything they like. And if their friends want to join, they’re absolutely welcome.
The secret to making co-parenting
work is friendship. Mine and Dominic’s relationship came to an end [in 2014], but we’re still really good friends and he’s a great dad. I’m not saying everybody can maintain that friendly relationship with their ex, but when it works, it’s great.
SWITCHING OFF
The best thing about life in my 40s is being able to give myself a break.
I no longer feel the need to try to be perfect all the time; it’s a false game because none of us are perfect.
I now realise that you can have moments of weakness and that’s fine.
I’m not very good at relaxing – I put myself under too much pressure to actually do it! Being on air is incredibly full-on: you have adrenaline, cortisol, caffeine, as well as people shouting here, there and everywhere. You can’t live your life at that pitch, so I need to find more activities that help me make that transition from ‘work mode’ to ‘home mode’. Piers goes swimming after the show and does spinning – maybe I should take a leaf out of his book.
I’m the queen of self-help books. I’m reading The Happiness Equation by
Neil Pasricha at the moment. It doesn’t matter how many I read, though, I still haven’t fixed all the things that I’d like to! I usually close the book and think, ‘Next!’
My friendships are vital to me. I have lots of fantastic friends – a best friend from school, from university, from when I became a mum – and I’ve made some lovely friends at work, too. Judge Rinder and I started at ITV at the same time and we clicked instantly. Now we go on holiday to Ibiza every year; we’ll go out to gigs and relax on the beach all day. Those are some of my favourite moments.
• Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.