Susanna Reid was missing from the Good Morning Britain presenting line-up on Thursday.
Kate Garraway stepped in for Susanna on her usual day hosting the ITV breakfast show alongside Ben Shephard.
Broadcaster Charlotte Hawkins kicked off the show by telling viewers: “We’re here all the way through until 9am this morning, with Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway joining us at 6.30am.”
While Piers used to present the show from Monday to Wednesday, Susanna worked an extra day to front the show with Ben, 45.
Susanna, 50, addressed Piers Morgan’s departure from GMB on Wednesday’s show, revealing she disagreed with her former co-star over the Meghan Markle interview.
Susanna Reid was missing from the Good Morning Britain presenting line-up on Thursday (Image: ITV)
She said: “A number of people, of course, will know the news and many of you will not and will be surprised that Piers Morgan is not here this morning.
“Now Piers and I have disagreed on many things and that dynamic was one of the many things that viewers loved about the programme.”
Piers, 55, announced he was leaving the role on Tuesday amid an Ofcom investigation into his coverage of Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Kate Garraway stepped in for Susanna on her usual day hosting the ITV breakfast show
Over 41,000 viewers contacted the watchdog to complain about Monday’s GMB, which saw Piers at one point claim he “didn’t believe anything” the Duchess of Sussex had said in the interview.
Susanna said: “He is without a doubt an outspoken, challenging, opinionated, disruptive broadcaster. He has many critics and he has many fans.
“You will know that I disagreed with him about Meghan’s interview. He himself clarified his comments about her mental health on the show yesterday. There are many voices on GMB and everyone has their say.”
Piers Morgan announced he was leaving Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (Image: PA)
“Now Piers has decided to leave the programme. Some of you may cheer,” Susanna went on.
“He has been my presenting partner Monday to Wednesday for more than five years and during Brexit and the pandemic and other issues he has been a voice for many of you, and a voice that many of you have railed against.
“It is certainly going to be very different. But shows go on, and so on we go.”
Mother-of-two Kate, 53, paid tribute to Piers during Thursday’s edition of GMB.
The mother-of-two said: “That’s the thing about Piers, he is very passionate, he does fly kites and have debates but it always come from a place of authenticity, he always believes in what he says.
“And he’s left, he’s decided to quit and has he put it himself, ‘fallen on his sword of free speech’, but as you rightly say, I’ve known him a long time before this programme, our friendship will go on, our personal friendship, and he’s been very supportive of me personally.
“But year, it’s a different show but the show goes on.”
Kate’s husband Derek has been in hospital since March 2020 after he contracted coronavirus.
Good Morning Britains airs weekdays on ITV at 6am
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
