Susanna Reid (born 10 December 1970) is a British journalist and presenter, currently employed by the BBC and best known for presenting BBC Breakfast.
Early life
Reid was born in Croydon, London to an English father, of Scottish ancestry and an English mother.
Reid was educated at the independent Croham Hurst School in Croydon (from 1975–81) with the comedienne Sue Perkins,[1] followed by the independent Croydon High School (1981–87) and St Paul's Girls' School (1987–89) in London before studying Politics, Philosophy and Law at the University of Bristol (1989–92). She was Editor of EpiGram the student newspaper when it was shortlisted for Best Student Newspaper in The Guardian/NUS student journalism awards 1991. Reid also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Cardiff School of Journalism.
Broadcasting career
Reid started her career at BBC Radio Bristol and then become a reporter for Radio 5 Live, as well as latterly a producer.
She then joined BBC News 24 where she spent two years as a reporter, and then presenter. Reid then spent three months doing charity work in Sri Lanka, before becoming a reporter for Breakfast News. After a maternity break, Reid became a presenter on the BBC News channel.
Reid is currently one of the main presenters on BBC Breakfast, presenting alongside Charlie Stayt previously Bill Turnbull on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. She has held her current role since 2004, when she replaced Mishal Husain, who went on maternity leave. She is also the regular newsreader during the headlines on The Andrew Marr Show, and can occasionally be seen on Breakfast during the week.
On 6 February 2009, Reid made a swift, off-the-cuff apology, while hosting BBC Breakfast News with Charlie Stayt, when a wrongly-cued, uncut audio clip of Hollywood actor Christian Bale, featuring the shouted line "You don't FUCKING understand!" was played on air. This was broadcast live at 6.55am on BBC1 in the UK. The clip was cut immediately and Susanna's gasps were audible during and immediately after the clip.[2]
On 22 February she presented the BBC's live coverage of the 2009 Oscars from Los Angeles.[3] She also presented coverage of the 2010 Oscars on 7 March 2010. On 16th May 2010 she stood in briefly for Andrew Marr, for the Sunday newspaper review, when he was late in arriving to present the Andrew Marr Show. This led to a slightly awkward scene when he turned up halfway through and there was a confusion as to who was fronting the show.
Personal life
Reid lives in South London with her husband, sport correspondent Dominic Cotton. They have been together since 1998,[4] married in 2001, and have three boys: Sam Cotton (born Southwark, London, 2002), Finn Cotton (born Lambeth, London, 2004) and Jack Cotton (born Lambeth, 2005). She has written a frankly bemusing series of radio programmes entitled Reid it and Weep. It was highly critically acclaimed.
Reid is a pescetarian, something she discusses occasionally in her Saturday morning banter with chef James Martin when commenting on the dishes on his following programme, Saturday Kitchen.[5]
Trivia
- She doesn't always wear her wedding ring while presenting the news.
References
- ↑ BBC Breakfast interview with Sue Perkins 25 July 2005
- ↑ "BBC 'sorry' over Bale swear gaffe". BBC News. 6 February 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7874161.stm. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ↑ Thomas, Liz (23 February 2009). "And the budget award goes to... BBC presenter Susanna Reid, who's wearing a £50 Oxfam dress to the Oscars". Mail Online. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1151162/And-budget-award-goes--BBC-presenter-Susanna-Reid-whos-wearing-50-Oxfam-dress-Oscars.html. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ↑ Through the Keyhole, Series 9 Episode 16, broadcast 29 May 2008
- ↑ "''BBC Breakfast'', various episodes". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/. Retrieved 2010-05-30.