Martin Lewis defends not wearing a tie for 'Good Morning Britain' debut

Money guru Martin Lewis has made his Good Morning Britain presenting debut, and was forced to defend his decision not to wear a tie for his appearance.

Lewis, 49, went with his trademark look of an open-necked white shirt for his first stint as co-host to Susanna Reid, but not everyone was a fan of the outfit choice.

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As Monday morning's breakfast news show opened, regular host Reid jokingly asked Lewis whether his recent tooth surgery had prevented him from wearing a tie.

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He said: "I’m not disrespectful of the programme’s structure, I was on it for 15 years.

"Because I talk about money I’ve always had a deliberate thing, I won’t wear a tie because it appears corporate, and when you’re talking money, I want people to understand I’m not on the corporate side, I’m on the other side."

He added to Reid: "Don’t pull a face at me. Therefore, I feel smart is good but I’m not going to wear a tie."

Good Morning Britain ran a poll to see how viewers felt about the lack of a tie, announcing later in the show that more than 80% of respondents didn't see why Lewis needed to wear one.

Thanks to viewer support, Lewis decided he would leave the ties in the wardrobe for the rest of his stint as presenter and also checked with tennis ace Greg Rusedski, who agreed a formal look wasn't necessary as he spoke about the opening day of Wimbledon.

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Lewis is the latest guest presenter to join the ITV show, following appearances from Richard Madeley, Alastair Campbell and Bill Turnbull as Reid's co-host.

The permanent job alongside Reid has been up for grabs since Piers Morgan quit the show in March, but so far his seat has been filled by a rotation of guest stars and regular hosts Adil Ray and Ben Shephard.

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