Susanna Reid has revealed the real reason why she gave up drinking alcohol five years ago.
At the time, the presenter, 53, cited ‘hangxiety’ and a high BMI as her reasons for becoming tee-total, but has now revealed what spurred her on to give up booze for good.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Susanna told co-host Richard Madeley: ‘I gave up drinking because a doctor said you should try giving up drinking… for the sake of your skin, and I think sometimes if you’ve got a different motivator other than, “I’d just like to give up drinking”.
‘He said it can make you look very flushed and I was getting all sorts of breakouts as a result of drinking. Of course, if you to say to someone we’re going to cure your skin by giving up alcohol, that’s a proper motivator.’
The presenter has been teetotal since 2018, bar a few slip-ups, despite attempts from friends to pull her off the wagon.
Susanna Reid revealed on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain the real reason that she announced plans to become sober five years ago
At the time, the presenter, 53, cited ‘hangxiety’ and a high BMI as her reasons. However, she revealed another reason still on the ITV breakfast show
‘And then after I’d given up, if I had just one I would instantly see it on my face. It was a big demotivator for drinking.’
Susanna revealed to the Mail in 2019 that she no longer felt hangxiety and explained what that meant.
‘It was a sort of fizzing feeling, when you can’t find peace, your body is just so agitated,’ she said.
‘I never drank when I was working, but, on nights off, I’d have a couple of glasses of wine. And Piers and I would have these big nights out at the Groucho Club in Soho, which were wonderful.
‘But I haven’t done one of those since I stopped drinking. Basically, I’m a lot less fun now – as Piers tells me all the time.’
Susanna also opened up about the effect being sober had on her love life.
She said: ‘Someone – he’ll be anonymous – and I were setting up arrangements for a date.
‘I thought it might be good manners to mention the fact I don’t drink, because most people do like to drink on a date.
Susanna told co-host Richard Madeley: ‘I gave up drinking because a doctor said you should try giving up drinking… for the sake of your skin’
The presenter has been teetotal since 2018, bar a few slip-ups, despite attempts from friends to pull her off the wagon (pictured with Piers Morgan in 2023)
While Susanna has given up alcohol for good, the presenter revealed last month she had a health scare with doctors giving her a warning about her caffeine consumption
‘And, just like that, he stopped making arrangements,’ she said. ‘It just ceased to be. A lot of people just think you’ll be no fun on a night out.’
‘I don’t care,’ she added. ‘I’m just grateful I don’t have to worry about waking up with a sore head.’
Susanna celebrated 100 days of sobriety in December 2018, and seven months in April 2019, but has not publicly marked any milestones since.
Speaking after the seven month mark, Susanna admitted: ‘I haven’t been entirely dry…there are times you fall back into it.’
In 2020, she said: ‘It’s a bit like the end of a relationship when you’re not quite ready to say it’s really over.’
Susanna has lost two stone since she cut out alcohol.
While Susanna has given up alcohol for good, the presenter revealed last month she had a health scare with doctors giving her a warning about her caffeine consumption.
Susanna admitted to drinking a staggering eight coffees a day to cope with the early 3.45am Good Morning Britain starts.
‘Losing my voice earlier this year was a bit of a scare. Everyone gets a bit croaky from time to time, but I could not get any noise out of my vocal cords and that’s never happened before,’ she said in the February issue of woman&home.
‘I went very quickly to see a specialist, who stuck a camera down my throat, for which I needed a nurse to hold my hand because I found it quite intrusive.
‘The specialist said maybe I had a virus that I didn’t realise I had. Unless we’re properly ill, we all carry on working, don’t we?
‘I’m not doing anything to boost my immunity, and I should be. The doctor was quite surprised that I don’t drink more water and that I drink quite a lot of coffee, so I have tried to cut down a bit.
‘One morning we worked out that I had eight coffees. But I don’t drink the whole cup – I have a few sips.’
Susanna said she has cut down on her caffeine intake by interspersing drinks with ginger tea.
