Susanna Reid says there has been a “cultural shift” at BBC towards the age of its female presenters
Susanna Reid, the BBC presenter currently starring in Strictly Come Dancing, has stated that she fully expects to be presenting on-air well into her 50s following a “culture shift” among BBC bosses.
In a recent report from The Older Women’s Commission, figures suggested that 82 per cent of television presenters over the age of 50 are men.
However, Reid, 43, said in an interview with The Times magazine: “I think something’s changed. This is a very good time for women in broadcasting and I think we’ll carry on.”
She added that she still expects to be presenting when she is 57 - the current age of Bill Turnbull, her co-presenter on BBC Breakfast.
“There’s been a cultural shift. There are a lot of women in broadcasting who you cannot imagine would not be on screen for a very long time. I’m much more confident that there's not a cliff edge any more for women.”
The comments from Reid come following a series of age discrimination rows at the BBC. Last year, Miriam O’Reilly, 55, won an age discrimination case against the BBC after she was replaced by younger presenters on Countryfile. She was then rehired, but claimed she suffered “hostility” from bosses and was forced out for a second time.