Susanna Reid – 'Why perfection doesn't matter to me'

Good Morning Britain anchor Susanna Reid, 52, opens up about work, family and staying healthy

- By Gemma Calvert

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 Il'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 BBC Breakfast 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. She went on to have two more boys - Finn, 18, and 17-year-old Jack - with journalist-turned-entrepreneur Dominic Cotton, before the couple split in 2014, shortly after she competed in Strictly Come Dancing.