Susanna Reid
Susanna Reid | |
|---|---|
| Born | Susanna Reid 10 December 1970 |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | University of Bristol Cardiff University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist television presenter |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Employer | BBC |
| Notable credit(s) | BBC Breakfast (2004-present) Sunday Morning Live (2010-present) |
| Partner | Dominic Cotton (1998-present) |
| Children | 3 sons |
Susanna Reid (born 10 December 1970)[citation needed] is an English journalist and presenter, best known for presenting BBC Breakfast.
Early life
The youngest of three children, Reid was born in Croydon, London to an English father who worked as a management consultant, of Scottish ancestry, and an English mother who worked as a nurse. Her parents separated and divorced when she was aged 9.[1]
Reid was educated at the independent Croham Hurst School, Croydon from 1975–81, where comedienne Sue Perkins was amongst her classmates,[2] followed by the independent Croydon High School (1981–87) and St Paul's Girls' School (1987–89) in London. Reid studyied Politics, Philosophy and Law at the University of Bristol (1989–92), where she was editor of EpiGram, the university's student newspaper,[3] when it was shortlisted for Best Student Newspaper in the 1991 The Guardian/NUS student journalism awards. She then undertook a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the 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. When the 23:00 presenter didn't turn up one night, she became a stand-in presenter for an hour (while three months pregnant with her first child), which turned in to a permanent position.[1] Before going on maternity leave, she presented on the BBC's online interactive service. Reid then spent three months doing charity work in Sri Lanka, before becoming a reporter for Breakfast News. After a second maternity break, Reid became a presenter on the BBC News channel.
Reid is one of the main presenters on BBC Breakfast, presenting alongside Charlie Stayt and 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 and can occasionally be seen on Breakfast during the week. In 2010 she stepped down from presenting Breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays to take a role on new programme Sunday Morning Live.[4] As of the final episode of the first series on 21 November 2010, she resumed her weekend presenting duties on BBC Breakfast within 2 weeks.[5]
She was also the regular newsreader during the headlines on The Andrew Marr Show, On 16 May 2010 she stood in briefly for Andrew Marr, for the Sunday newspaper review, when he arrived late for the programme after interviewing the new Prime Minister David Cameron. 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.[6]
On 6 February 2009, Reid made a swift, off-the-cuff apology, while hosting Breakfast 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 Reid's gasps were audible during and immediately after the clip.[7]
On 22 February she presented the BBC's live coverage of the 2009 Oscars from Los Angeles.[8] She also presented coverage of the 2010 Oscars on 7 March.
In 2010 the BBC received complaints about Reid's apparent cleavage, revealing clothing, and behaviour, accusing her of 'flirting' and 'behaving like a schoolgirl on her first date', during an interview with Hugh Grant. Reid replied "I'm always sorry when people don't like what we do, but I have come to accept that you can't please all the people all of the time. However, after breastfeeding three children, I'm amazed that people think I still have a cleavage worth complaining about."[9] Reid has gained a large male fan base on the internet, due to her good looks and supposed 'revealing clothing', who post videos of her online, with one video gaining over 200,000 hits.[10] In February 2010 the press again discussed Reid after she wore a reportedly 'sexy ultra-tight dress', which drew much comment from her internet fans.[11] Reid later defended her clothing, saying that after appearing regularly on TV she realised she 'had to raise my game if I was to look good presenting' and that her 'curvy' figure was suited to fitted clothing.[12]
In light of the move of BBC Breakfast to MediaCityUK in Salford, Manchester, and existing Monday to Thursday presenter Sian Williams deciding to stay in London on other programmes, from January 2012 Reid will take over Williams position as a main weekday presenter, alongside Bill Turnbull.[1]
Acting
Reid appeared as an actress, with Shirley-Anne Field, in Agatha Christie's Spider's Web in 1982, and then in 1985 alongside Harriet Walter, Peter Barkworth, Adrian Dunbar and Derek Thompson in 'The Price' on Channel 4.[3]
Charity interests
Reid is a regular contributor to Media Trust, the charity which links other charities to the media industry, and has hosted events for the Myotubular Trust and Voluntary Arts England.[3] In 1998 she worked for three months in Sri Lanka as a voluntary media consultant for a charity which counsels victims of the civil war and operates orphanages and social development programmes.[3] Since 2008 she has also been part of the annual BBC's Children In Need "Newsreaders performance."
Personal life
Reid lives in Lambeth, South London,[13] with her longtime partner, sports correspondent Dominic Cotton.[14] Although not married,[15] the couple have been together since 1998,[16] and have three sons.[14]
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.[17]
References
- ^ a b c http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2062692/Susanna-Reid-BBC-Breakfast-presenter-says-career-flourished-children.html
- ^ Sue Perkins stands on her own BBC News, 25 July 2005
- ^ a b c d Susanna Reid profile BBC Breakfast
- ^ Sunday Morning Live BBC One
- ^ Susanna Reid Twitter post, dated 20 November 2010
- ^ Andrew Marr misses the start of his own show! YouTube
- ^ "BBC 'sorry' over Bale swear gaffe". BBC News. 6 February 2009. 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. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid under fire from viewers for wearing low-cut dress and acting flirtatiously in Hugh Grant interview | Mail Online
- ^ Susanna Reid to the rescue as Andrew Marr arrives late for his show (Perhaps it should happen more often) | Mail Online
- ^ BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid wears sexy ultra-tight dress | The Sun |Showbiz|TV
- ^ Susanna Reid: I had to up my game to look good on TV once I entered my thirties | Mail Online
- ^ "We were burgled". Daily Mail. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ a b "Susanna Reid: I had to up my game to look good on TV once I entered my thirties". Mail Online. 29 July 2010.
- ^ Susanna Reid Twitter post, dated 16 August 2009
- ^ Through the Keyhole, Series 9 Episode 16, broadcast 29 May 2008
- ^ "BBC Breakfast, various episodes". BBC News. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
External links
- Susanna Reid at IMDb
- 1970 births
- Living people
- 20th-century actors
- Alumni of Cardiff University
- Alumni of the University of Bristol
- BBC newsreaders and journalists
- English people of Scottish descent
- English stage actors
- English television actors
- People educated at Croydon High School
- People from Croydon
- Pescetarians
- People educated at Croham Hurst School