Susanna Reid self-isolating after son develops ‘persistent cough’

Susanna Reid has revealed she is self-isolating after one of her sons developed a "persistent cough".

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 49, said she plans to spend the next 14 days away from the ITV show, in line with advice from the Government.

The mother-of-three said that while she was displaying "no symptoms" and believed her son's illness was only a "seasonal cold", she was still taking precautions.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain via video link, she said: "One of the boys, one of my children, has a cough – a persistent cough, and that came on yesterday."

She added: "That means that immediately I thought 'I can't go into work' and work with you guys for 14 days.

"The children are off and, of course, we are effectively two households because like many families we are a separated family, so we have two families who have gone into self-isolation."

In the first of his daily No 10 press conferences on Monday, Boris Johnson called on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres and to avoid all non-essential contacts and travel.

Reid confirmed she was following the Prime Minister's advice despite her and her children having "perfectly normal temperatures".

She added: "I don't have a cough. I have no symptoms. I am not feeling fatigued. I feel 100% healthy.

"And in other circumstances, before the advice changed yesterday, I would have come into work.

"Then the advice changed. If there is a persistent cough and/or a fever then the whole household has to self-isolate.

"There is no test to establish whether this is actually the virus and I have huge doubts it is. I really just don't think it is. I think it is a seasonal cough."

Reid's co-host Piers Morgan quipped that she had taken extreme measures to miss working with him.

"I have heard of some ways of avoiding working with me but this is ridiculous," he said.

BBC Breakfast's presenters also took measures against the virus, spreading themselves across the studio instead of sitting close to each other on the programme's red sofa.

Co-host Dan Walker said the team were taking "practical measures" in order to "take care of each other".

Celebrities including Idris Elba, Game Of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have tested positive for coronavirus, while stars such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande have gone into self-isolation.