Good Morning Britain star Ed Balls has announced he will be taking an extended break from the ITV show, after sparking a wave of 8,000 Ofcom complaints.
The former Labour MP and ex-shadow chancellor, 57, has been a regular host on the breakfast programme since he joined three years ago, sharing duties on a rotational basis with other presenters such as Richard Madeley, Robert Rinder and Adil Ray.
However, two recent interviews – with Ed’s wife the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and MP Zarah Sultana – landed the presenter in hot water has the show was faced with a slew of complaints.
Following the controversial week, the presenter took to Instagram on Monday evening to reveal he will be stepping back from his duties for a summer break.
He shared two snaps with his 64,000 followers – one of him holding a pavlova and a selfie with his GMB co-star Kate Garraway.
Good Morning Britain star Ed Balls has announced he will be taking an extended break from the ITV show, after sparking a wave of 8,000 Ofcom complaints (pictured with Kate Garraway)
Following the controversial week, the presenter took to Instagram on Monday evening to reveal he will be stepping back from his duties for a summer break
The ITV star penned: ‘What better way to celebrate the start of summer holidays than with a pavlova – our family favourite – loved working with Kate last week during such national turbulent times.
‘I’m back with Susanna at the beginning of September when schools and Parliament return – see you soon.’
Some fans wished him well for his time off but others were still furious and rushed to the comments to express their concern, writing:
‘Your and your co-presenters “treatment” of Zarah Sultana was simply awful.’
‘A bit dodge interviewing the Mrs though let’s be honest…’
‘So sad with your journalism – with Zara Sultana / you’re better than this.’
‘Absolutely brilliant on GMB….you are great Ed.’
‘Gonna really miss you, love you on GMB, enjoy your holiday.’
‘You are great on GMB. Will miss you but have a fabulous summer break.’
The complaints came after Ed interviewed his wife, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, live on TV, last week
He questioned Ms Cooper on GMB about the violent protests in some parts of the UK in the wake of the killing of three young girls in Southport
Some fans wished him well for his time off but others were still furious and rushed to the comments to express their concern
The complaints came after Ed interviewed his wife, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, live on TV, last week.
He questioned Ms Cooper on GMB about the violent protests in some parts of the UK in the wake of the killing of three young girls in Southport.
The episode was branded ’embarrassing to the extreme’ by viewers concerned with the huge conflict of interest’.
On Wednesday Ofcom said the Monday programme attracted 8,201 complaints about Ed questioning Ms Cooper, and an exchange with Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana.
The submissions refer to the period from July 30 to August 5.
Balls clashed with a Labour MP about the violent far-right earlier in the episode.
Balls asked Ms Cooper whether officers had policed protests by far-right activists and pro-Palestine demonstrators differently.
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant asked if there had been a ‘two-tier approach’ to policing, and if police have been ‘softer and more cautious’ when policing the Gaza demonstrations, compared with a ‘tougher’ approach over the last week.
Earlier in the episode, Zara Sultana, MP for Coventry South, accused host Balls of ‘sneering contempt’ after a discussion about whether the riots should be deemed Islamophobic became heated
On Wednesday Ofcom said the Monday programme attracted 8,201 complaints
Ms Cooper, who has been married to Balls for more than 25 years and has three children with him, said that police have to operate ‘without fear or favour, whatever the kinds of crimes it is that they face’.
Before the interview, which was led mostly by GMB host Kate Garraway, he said he had ‘genuine questions’ for Ms Cooper, as he has ‘rarely seen her at all in the last week’ because of the disorder on the streets.
Earlier in the episode, Zara Sultana, MP for Coventry South, accused host Balls of ‘sneering contempt’ after a discussion about whether the riots should be deemed Islamophobic became heated.
Defending her view that the riots were a result of racism and Islamophobia, hosts Kate and Ed repeatedly asked the 30-year-old MP to answer their questions.
Hitting back Ms Sultana said she was going to wait for Kate to finish her question before Balls interrupted: ‘If you want to answer the questions, you can but you don’t have to.’
Ed continued to interrupt her as she replied to Kate’s question about why she wanted politicians to call out Islamophobia.
Ms Sultana then asked Ed ‘if she can finish’, and criticised an article that he wrote about immigration.
Ed, who was a Labour MP from 2005 to 2015, defended a 2010 Guardian opinion column titled ‘We were wrong to allow so many eastern Europeans into Britain’.
It comes as Trisha Goddard has stepped in in Ed’s absence – and fans were thrilled to have her back after she spent 15 years away from screens
On Tuesday as she made her return, fans couldn’t help but gush how ‘refreshing’ it was to have the ‘fantastic’ presenter on the show
Later, Ms Sultana posted on X: ‘The sneering contempt of ‘journalists’ will never stop me from calling out racism and Islamophobic hate.’
ITV declined to comment.
It comes as Trisha Goddard has stepped in in Ed’s absence – and fans were thrilled to have her back after she spent 15 years away from screens.
Once queen of breakfast TV, the 66-year-old is stepping in to host the ITV programme twice as she eases her way back into presenting.
Trisha regularly presented on ITV from 1998 to 2004 and then shifted to Channel 5 from 2004 to 2010.
She then ran on ITV from 1998 to 2004, then on Channel 5 from 2004 to 2010.
On Tuesday as she made her return, fans couldn’t help but gush how ‘refreshing’ it was to have the ‘fantastic’ presenter on the show.
Good Morning Britain returns on Thursday at 6am.
