Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid feeling ‘discombobulated’ as social distancing is axed on set

Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley will be much closer than they’re used to as Good Morning Britain has axed social distancing after almost two years.

Since the Covid pandemic began in March 2020, the revolving host of GMB presenters have been forced to sit far apart from each other to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. 

However, with most of the team presumably vaccinated and almost two years on from the start of the pandemic, the programme has decided to end social distancing meaning Susanna and her current co-host Richard will be sitting closer together. 

Reacting to the move, Richard said on Monday’s episode: ‘We are disappearing into cyberspace. We are actually, literally sitting next to each other again for the first time in two years.’ 

Susanna admitted: ‘It’s actually quite discombobulating.’ 

‘Shall we go back to the way we were? I’d feel a bit more comfortable,’ her co-host joked, to which she explained to viewers: ‘We’ve loosened the social distancing on this programme, so we are sitting a little closer to each other and we no longer have that weird graphic line between us.’ 

Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley previously sat around two metres apart (Picture: Rex Features)

The presenters have closed the gap after almost two years (Pictures: ITV / Good Morning Britain)

Recalling the challenges of sitting so far apart, Richard said: ‘I dropped my pen last week and I bent down to pick it up as you were asking a question, and you said “he’s disappeared”. 

‘We’ll get back used to it because co-presenting is about co-presenting quite closely together and it’s been quite hard actually.’ 

Keen to keep just a little space, Susanna quipped: ‘That’s close enough actually.’ 

Feigning offence, Richard asked: ‘Are you happy with the aftershave?’ to which she joked: ‘If you could now wear less aftershave now we’re just a metre apart.’ 

More: Good Morning Britain

Last year, former GMB presenter Piers Morgan hit back at viewers who claimed they weren’t following the rules and said: ‘We’ve got the usual idiots saying “you’re not socially distancing”.’ 

‘It looks like we’re cheating and we’re breaking lockdown rules!’ he added as they pretended to sit beside one another. 

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.

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