Good Morning Britain viewers have been left making a complaint after Susanna Reid returned to the studio. The presenter spent Monday's show (April 25) reporting live from the Polish-Ukrainian border.
She travelled with a small crew on Saturday (April 23) to Medyka, one of the busiest of the border crossings as people continue to flee war-torn Ukraine two months since Russia's invasion began. Susanna opened Monday's show by saying: "As I speak this morning air raid sirens are sounding across Ukraine, including in Lviv."
She then spoke to translator Natalia whose family are in the city, in western Ukraine around 70 kilometres from the border with Poland. She said her life 'is no longer normal and it's very hard to imagine what the future holds' and helped Susanna speak to those fleeing Ukraine as she stood metres away from the country.
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Susanna's coverage in Medyka also featured a touching interview with Amelia, the young Ukrainian girl who went viral after a video of her singing Let it Go from Frozen in a Kyiv bomb shelter was posted online. Meanwhile, Richard, 65, hosted the rest of the programme from ITV's London studios.
But on Tuesday, Susana was back in London and in the studio alongside Ed Balls. She was asked about the emotional trip, commenting: "It was the people's stories, the refugees who are fleeing the intensifying bombardment in some cities in particular that just breaks your heart," said Reid. "And particularly the children."
When former politician and Labour MP Ed asked her what her overriding emotions were as she left Poland, Susanna said: "11-year-old Bogdan, who I met at the refugee reception centre [on the border]. He's with his mum, she's a single mum.
"They left central Ukraine. He said at the beginning of the war he was playing war games, pretending with his friends to be soldiers. Then he said he realised this wasn't a game. He heard the jets overhead.
"He's 11 years old. He's so young. He's younger than any of my children. Any parent would be thinking how can an 11-year-old experience that. Just to be on the cusp of understanding this is no longer a game, it's actually real. Maria, his mum, kept saying: 'Have I done the right thing by taking him out of our country?'.
"She's never left her country before. She's never been to Poland, the neighbouring country. She is now a refugee who is hoping to come to Britain. They've been waiting weeks for their visas. Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme they have a house available and welcoming arms of an amazing warm family in Bristol who want to look after them but they're waiting on the home office to grant visas."
Throughout the show, Susanna mentioned her trip and the issues with visas in particular. But GMB viewers found it frustrating. @MadKDog tweeted: "#GMB has turned in to Susannah holiday stories."
@anniebev6 fumed: "FFS susanna yet again making it all about her #gmb."
"Does Susanna *have* to be in *every* photo #GMB," @SlapstickSally added.
But some praised Susanna for her work with @gbrad43 commenting: "@susannareid100 Great job susannah. Powerful reporting."
