Ed Balls announces break from GMB amid Ofcom complaints

Ed Balls has announced that he's taking a break from his presenting role on Good Morning Britain for the rest of the summer and will be back on the programme when Susanna Reid returns in September.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Ed, 57, posed in his kitchen with a delicious-looking pavlova as he reflected on his week hosting the show with Kate Garraway. "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," penned the former politician. "I'm back with Susanna at the beginning of September when schools and Parliament return - see you soon."

Fans were quick to comment on the post, with many wishing the presenter a restful break. One person penned: "Love you on GMB. Enjoy the next few weeks and see you soon," while another added: "You are great on GMB. Will miss you but have a fabulous summer break."

The broadcaster made headlines last week after Ofcom received over 8,000 complaints about an episode of GMB in which Ed interviewed his wife, home secretary Yvette Cooper. While some of the complaints were related to Yvette and Ed's exchange, others were in response to Ed and Kate's interview with Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

During the heated interview, Zarah said it was important that the government branded last week's riots and violent disorder as "Islamophobic" as well as racist and also criticised an article Ed had previously written about immigration.

MORE GMB STARS

• Inside Charlotte Hawkins' family life with husband of 15 years

• GMB stars' luxury homes: Kate Garraway, Ben Shephard and more

• GMB stars' engagements: Kate Garraway's meaningful ring, Lorraine Kelly's forgetful proposal & more

• Good Morning Britain presenters who quit and why

After her appearance on the programme, Zarah penned on social media: "The sneering contempt of 'journalists' will never stop me from calling out racism and Islamophobic hate."

A spokesperson for Ofcom said: "We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate."

Meanwhile, ITV defended Ed's exchange with his wife as "balanced, fair and duly impartial". A spokesperson said in a statement: "Following a weekend of rioting and national unrest, GMB featured a range of interviews and discussion around this national emergency on [Monday’s] programme which included James Cleverly, shadow home secretary, and Yvette Cooper, home secretary. We are satisfied that these interviews were balanced, fair and duly impartial."

Ed has been a permanent presenter on Good Morning Britain since July 2022, having first appeared as a guest host in November 2021. He regularly appears alongside Susanna and Kate.