Reid defects from BBC to new ITV show

BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid is joining ITV to present its new morning show.

Reid’s move from the BBC Breakfast sofa, where she has been hugely popular with audiences, follows days of speculation about the move.

ITV announced that the Strictly Come Dancing finalist would be joined by former GMTV star Ben Shephard, Charlotte Hawkins and Sean Fletcher on the new show.

They will join the channel as ITV’s main weekday presenters, between 6am and 8.30am, on the newly-named breakfast show Good Morning Britain.

The announcement comes after Reid’s agent confirmed that the mother of three - who was absent from BBC Breakfast this morning – had split from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton.

ITV director of daytime Helen Warner said: “I’m delighted to welcome all four presenters to the ITV Breakfast family.

“ITV has a first-class roster of breakfast and daytime talent, both on and off screen, and I’m thrilled to be expanding this.

“Our overriding aim is to continue to improve our breakfast programming for our viewers, and we have been working for some time behind the scenes developing the next chapter of our offering.”