Good Morning Britain host announces extended break from show after sparking 8,000 Ofcom complaints – as Trisha Goddard takes over in presenter shake-up

Good Morning Britain star Ed Balls has announced he is taking an extended break from the ITV show after 8,000 complaints were received by Ofcom.

The 57-year-old former Labour MP and former shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer has been a regular host of the breakfast programme since taking over three years ago, sharing duties on a rotating basis with other presenters including Richard Madeley, Robert Rinder and Adil Ray.

However, two recent interviews – with Ed’s wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, and MP Zarah Sultana – landed the presenter in hot water as the show faced a flood of complaints.

After the controversial week, the presenter announced on Instagram on Monday evening that he will take a break in the summer.

He shared two photos with his 64,000 followers: one of himself holding a pavlova and a selfie with his GMB colleague Kate Garraway.

The ITV star wrote: “What better way to celebrate the start of the summer holidays than with a pavlova? Our family favourite. We loved working with Kate last week during this turbulent national time.

‘I’ll be back with Susanna in early September when schools and parliament start again. See you soon.’

Some fans wished him the best for his time off, but others were still furious and expressed their concerns in the comments:

‘The way you and your co-hosts treated Zarah Sultana was absolutely appalling.’

‘But let’s be honest: the interview with the lady is a bit evasive…’

‘What a shame about your journalism. With Zara Sultana you are better than this.’

‘Absolutely brilliant on GMB…you’re amazing Ed.’

‘I’m really going to miss you, I love you on GMB, enjoy your holiday.’

“You’re great on GMB. Will miss you but have a fantastic summer.”

The complaints came after Ed interviewed his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, on live television last week.

He questioned Ms Cooper on GMB about the violent protests in parts of the UK following the murder of three young girls in Southport.

Viewers called the episode “extremely embarrassing” as they worried about the huge conflict of interest.

On Wednesday, Ofcom reported that Monday’s programme had received 8,201 complaints about Ed questioning Ms Cooper and a conversation with Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana.

The entries cover the period from July 30 to August 5.

Earlier in the episode, Balls clashed with a Labour MP over the violent far-right movement.

Balls asked Ms Cooper whether officers acted differently at protests by far-right activists and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant asked whether there was a “two-pronged approach” to policing and whether police were “softer and more cautious” in policing the Gaza protests, compared to the “harder” approach of the past week.

Mrs Cooper, who has been married to Balls for more than 25 years and has three children with him, said police “must operate without fear or favour, regardless of the type of crimes they are faced with”.

Before the interview, which was largely moderated by GMB presenter Kate Garraway, he said he had “genuine questions” for Ms Cooper as he has “hardly seen her in the last week” due to the chaos on the streets.

Earlier in the episode, Coventry South MP Zara Sultana accused presenter Balls of “mocking contempt” after a heated debate broke out over whether the riots should be considered Islamophobic.

To defend her position that the riots were the result of racism and Islamophobia, presenters Kate and Ed repeatedly asked the 30-year-old MP to answer their questions.

Ms Sultana responded by saying she would wait until Kate had finished her question before Balls interrupted her: ‘If you want to answer the questions you can, but you don’t have to.’

Ed kept interrupting her as she answered Kate’s question about why she wanted politicians to challenge Islamophobia.

Mrs. Sultana then asked Ed “if she could finish her story” and criticized an article he had written about immigration.

Ed, who was a Labour MP from 2005 to 2015, defended a 2010 Guardian opinion piece entitled ‘We were wrong to let so many eastern Europeans into Britain’.

Later, Ms. Sultana posted on X: “The mocking contempt of ‘journalists’ will never stop me from exposing racism and Islamophobic hatred.”

ITV declined to comment.

Trisha Goddard stepped in for Ed in her absence, and fans were thrilled to have her back after 15 years away from the screen.

The 66-year-old was once the queen of TV’s morning shows, but now hosts the ITV show twice as she slowly finds her way back as a presenter.

Trisha presented regularly on ITV from 1998 to 2004, before moving to Channel 5 from 2004 to 2010.

From 1998 to 2004 she appeared on ITV and from 2004 to 2010 on Channel 5.

When she made her comeback on Tuesday, fans couldn’t help but cheer about how “refreshing” it was to have the “fantastic” presenter on the show.

Good Morning Britain is back on Thursday at 6am.