GMB presenter Susanna Reid choked back tears on her first day back on the ITV show following her summer break.
The mum-of-three, 53, admitted she felt “sick” as she and co-anchor Ed Balls, 57, tackled an emotional interview today (September 2).
GMB today: Susanna Reid returns for uncomfortable interview
Pooja Kanda spoke to the programme to campaign for Ninja swords to be included under the Government’s new zombie and machete surrender scheme.
It came after 17-year-old thugs fatally stabbed her son Ronan, 16, with the weapon just yards from his Mount Road, Wolverhampton, home in 2022.
Ronan was stabbed to death after Pabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill mistook him for his friend who owned money to Pabjeet. They saw Ronan leave the house where their intended victim lived and assumed he was the friend.
The pair attacked Ronan from behind when he was walking back from his friend’s house. Sukhman carried the machete, but Pabjeet stabbed him twice with the sword. Prabjeet is serving a minimum term of 18 years, while Sukhman is serving a minimum of 16 years.
‘It makes me feel sick’
GMB producers bought a range of knives, like the one that killed Ronan, and they sat in a display cabinet during the interview. It was also pointed out that, when buying the knives, producers had not been asked to verify their ages.
Susanna admitted: “It makes me feel sick. I feel sick just being in the presence of them.”
His grieving mum said the impact of her son’s murder has “absolutely destroyed our family to pieces”.
“You [the killers] haven’t taken the lives of the individual, you have taken other lives with you. It has totally destroyed us. Absolutely destroyed us. But I will carry on campaigning because I believe that if someone had done that for me, my son would be here for me,” she said.
Pooja’s eyes filled with tears as she explained how loved her son was after stories from his school friends.
“The other children told us stories about him. I was like: ‘Wow, that’s my son. And that proud moment I carry today about Ronan – Ronan is an amazing child,'” Pooja said.
‘So powerful’
Susanna tried to control her emotions when she closed the GMB interview, saying: “That was so powerful, thank you so much. All credit to you and all power to you.
“I find it absolutely astounding,” she added.
Read more: Susanna Reid infuriates GMB fans: ‘You couldn’t make it up’
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