Susanna Reid and Ed Balls have said goodbye to a beloved Good Morning Britain colleague. The pair returned to ITV's central London studio on Wednesday (July 22) to deliver the day's biggest headlines from across the UK and around the world.
At the end of the show, the hosts paid a heartfelt tribute to the show's director, Stuart Earl, who was leaving GMB after ten years.
Hosts thank Stuart Earl for a decade of work
"We just want to, before we go, say a huge goodbye to our amazing director, Stuart. He's getting on his motorbike and he's off, he's going to be riding over some mountains somewhere," Susanna said. "But he's been with us for ten years and we are grateful for every minute. Stuart, thank you. Good luck, goodbye."
The studio erupted into applause, as Ed continued: "Stuart, you are a total genius. You have been so brilliant. You support us so much, thank you very, very much."
Andi Peters announces departure earlier in the week
Andi Peters announced Stuart's departure earlier this week, as he presented the competition segment. He said: "Now, Susanna and Ed, interestingly I've got to send one text as well today. It's to our director Stuart. Today's my last day working with him."
Andi then jokingly pretended to type into his phone: "Stuart, love you lots! [It's] been a great ten years. Good luck, Stuart. Thank the lord I'm not doing Tuesday and Wednesday live, so I don't have to work with you."
Other news on GMB: bus fare cap and clash with MP
Elsewhere on today's GMB, Jonathan Swain announced breaking news, after the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham revealed that single bus fares across England will be capped at £2 from January. The nationwide cap is currently at £3 until the end of March 2027, although some areas, including London and Greater Manchester, have lower top rates for single tickets.
Later in the show, Susanna clashed with Reform MP Robert Jenrick, after he claimed that she was absolving the current government of responsibility with regards to the early prisoner release scheme. "Since when did I absolve... Sorry, Mr Jenrick, when did I absolve this government of [responsibility]? No, but don't make a criticism of me that is untrue. When have I absolved this government of responsibility?" Susanna said. She firmly added: "Don't make a false accusation against me."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am.
