Susanna Reid announces lengthy break from ITV's Good Morning Britain

Susanna Reid has revealed she's taking a temporary leave from Good Morning Britain.

The 53 year old host has let viewers know that she will be stepping back from the ITV morning show until September, although she hinted that she might make occasional appearances in the interim.

She broke the news at the close of Wednesday's (July 10) broadcast and assured her co-host Ed Balls that he would be well looked after by the GMB team, including Charlotte Hawkins.

Susanna announced: "I'm going to say goodbye because it's now time for me to go off on a break, which means I say goodbye to you at home. You never know, I might pop up in the meantime, but otherwise I will be back in September! "

Ed queried, "Do you have to? " and playfully suggested, "Can't you just stay for a bit? " Susanna comforted him with the promise that he was in capable hands during her absence. She concluded with "I've got to say bye" and then cheered "Come on, England" in support of the national team's Euro 2024 semi-final match against the Netherlands tonight, reports the Mirror.

This announcement followed a moment of confusion shared between Susanna and Ed after Charlotte's news update regarding the football game. As the segment wrapped up, Charlotte teased: "In case you were wondering how the football is going to go tonight, I have the answer."

"A group of mystic meerkats have predicted victory for England over the Netherlands." She then showed the audience footage of meerkats at an East Sussex zoo choosing between two buckets of nuts.

A quirky manner of predicting football results involving animals and flags representing England and the Netherlands didn't seem to excite Susanna and Ed.

Adding in her comments, she said: "In case you're sceptical about this, Susanna I can see that look on your face. So far, the predictive pack have correctly picked all of England's results."

Sticking by the unusual method, she declared: "So, I am sticking with the meerkats. It's going to be a win for England."

When met with a brief silence, Susanna queried about the authenticity of the prediction, doubting if there were really any nuts in the bucket marked for the Netherlands.

Although Charlotte defended the predictive prowess of the meerkats, she also brought up another famous animal forecaster - Paul, the octopus.

Responding to this unusual news segment, Susanna retorted: "Mystic animals should not be in news bulletins Charlotte Hawkins! " Laughter ensued after her comments, while Ed threw in his piece: "Clutching at straws."

Reacting to Eds dig, Charlotte exclaimed: "Ooh harsh! " Cutting him off, Susanna proposed that if the meerkats predictions turned out to be right, they should support it. Adding more to it, she said: "I don't mean to rain on the meerkat's parade."

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am