Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid is helping us to cook up savings

AS Monday mornings go, it’s been an eventful one for Susanna Reid.

She’s just come off air after a particularly-heated instalment of Good Morning Britain, where former Ukip leader Nigel Farage and ex-Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell went head-to-head over Brexit.

“It was like the dinner party from hell, wasn’t it?” Susanna says with a laugh.

“It’s hard enough to get a word in when Piers Morgan (her co-host) is there, let alone when Alastair Campbell and Nigel Farage are coming to blows.”

The Brexit debate was followed by an interview with former Sex Pistols hellraiser John (Johnny Rotten) Lydon.

“I’d have thought Johnny Rotten would be the one who was out of control,” admits Susanna. “He was a pussycat in comparison!”

After more than two decades working in TV, Susanna still relishes the challenges the job presents.

From the window of the room we’re in, there’s a clear view of Westminster Bridge, where she and Morgan reported from the morning after the recent terrorist attack.

“It was utterly shocking,” says Susanna, whose mother Sue volunteered at nearby St Thomas’ Hospital on the day of the attack.

“But I don’t feel less safe. We’re incredibly resilient, we’ve been through 7/7 and all the threats.

“There’s always something, but I’m happy we’re all carrying on.”

Susanna’s latest project sees her stepping away from breakfast TV to host Save Money: Good Food, in which she and chef Matt Tebbutt offer top tips on how to be a smart spender without sacrificing quality or taste.

The pair will spend time with different families to show them how to transform their boring midweek meals into something special — for a fraction of the cost.

“Food prices are already going up and inflation’s up, so what better time for us to investigate how that will impact families’ budgets?” says Susanna, 46.

She cooks every day for her three sons, and while she tries to cook from scratch where possible: “I will hold my hands up and say fish fingers regularly make an appearance.

“I’ll definitely use processed food when I need to, and we regularly get takeaway food,” she confesses.

“I know that’s not the most cost-efficient way to spend my money, so I was really interested in how we can save a bit.”

Having already appeared on Strictly Come Dancing (she made the final with pro partner Kevin Clifton in 2013), Susanna isn’t looking to the Save Money programme to show viewers a different side of herself.

“I’m open about who I am on air. I’m private about my family life, but viewers know me,” she says.

“They’ve seen me interview the Prime Minister, they’ve seen me do a paso doble, and now they can see me chopping some onions and investigating issues like food waste.”

When asked if it was nice to get a break from Piers, Susanna — who at times seems as exasperated with the outspoken host as many of us at home are — is diplomatic.

“We have a good professional relationship. He’s notorious for being controversial, and he’s opinionated,” she observes.

“He’s determined to force opinions out of me, and of course, having been at the BBC for a very long time, I maintain an air and sense of neutrality all the time.

“But he’s got somewhere with getting an opinion out of me on some of the less-political subjects.”

While she says they’re “genuinely friends” and keep in contact outside of work, they aren’t ones to pop out for a pint together.

“We’ve been out a couple of times and both times, it’s got quite messy!” she laughs.

“So we like to keep those as few and far between as possible.”