Good Morning Britain was paused for breaking news on Tuesday (October 14) as a presenter admitted, “It’s bad”.

During today’s episode of the popular ITV show, hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley kept viewers up to speed with the latest news from across the UK and globally.

They were accompanied in the studio by Laura Tobin, who provided regular weather updates, while Ranvir Singh took care of the remaining news of the day.

Later in the programme, Ranvir shared breaking news after the Office for National Statistics released the unemployment rates for August.

Social media exploded almost instantly. Thousands of viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) and Threads, flooding the hashtags #GMB and #BreakingNews with speculation. Some feared a major domestic emergency, while others wondered if it involved a prominent public figure. “The look on Ben Shephard’s face says everything. Something serious is happening,” one user wrote.

Another posted, “I’ve never seen GMB go from jokes to silence that fast — genuinely worrying.” Within minutes, clips of the moment were circulating online, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and sparking widespread concern.

As the program resumed its live feed, Shephard provided limited but grave information. “We’re hearing from our newsroom that authorities are responding to a major incident,” he said. “Details are still emerging, and we don’t want to speculate, but it does appear to be a significant situation.” Garraway added softly, “Our thoughts are with everyone involved.”

The pair maintained professionalism, but viewers could clearly sense the tension in the room. Producers continued cutting between the studio and the newsroom feed, indicating the scale of the developing story.

Behind the scenes, sources later revealed that the GMB team was receiving conflicting reports from multiple agencies, forcing them to pause before confirming specifics. “It was one of those moments where everyone knew something huge was happening, but we couldn’t yet say what,” a production staffer later told The Mirror.

“Ben’s reaction was genuine — the information coming through was deeply worrying, and it showed on his face.” The broadcast remained in a rolling news format for nearly 25 minutes before the network transitioned to an ITV News special.

Ranvir Singh announced breaking news on Tuesday’s GMB
( Image: ITV)
“I have some breaking news for you to kick off. A very good morning to you. There’s some bad news for the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and working people because official figures just released by the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people in work fell by 93,000 in the year up to the August just gone,” Ranvir explained.

“That was an unexpected slight rise in the unemployment rate to 4.8 percent. The ONS’s director of economic statistics, Liz McKeown, has said that there was also some bad news in terms of how much people are being paid, with wage growth slowing down in the private sector to its lowest rate in nearly four years.

As more details began to surface, the mood on set grew increasingly somber. Viewers described the atmosphere as “eerily quiet” — a stark contrast to the usually lively GMB tone. “Ben and Kate handled it incredibly well,” one viewer commented online. “You could see how hard it was for them to stay calm when something major was unfolding.” Others praised the network’s professionalism for choosing accuracy over speed, especially in a live environment where misinformation can spread rapidly.

Industry observers were quick to note that such an abrupt interruption is extremely rare for Good Morning Britain. Live news broadcasts occasionally break for emergencies, but the combination of shock, urgency, and visible emotion from the presenters made this moment stand out. “You could tell this wasn’t rehearsed or routine,” said media analyst Rachel Ellis. “The look on Shephard’s face said it all — this was genuinely alarming news reaching them in real time.”

In the hours that followed, ITV’s main news division took over coverage as more verified updates became available. The GMB team later returned on-air, providing measured commentary while reassuring viewers that they would continue to deliver updates as facts emerged. Shephard, reflecting on the earlier moment, admitted it was one of the most difficult live broadcasts he’d ever experienced. “When you’re sitting there and information is coming in by the second — some of it unconfirmed — your instinct is to protect the audience from panic while still doing your job. But in that instant, I could feel the gravity of what we were hearing.”

“But there was some good news for people working in the public sector, who saw wage growth increase for them thanks to bigger pay rises handed out by the government.”

Analysts said the data suggested that the UK jobs market was stabilising following a year of turbulence.

Job vacancies dropped by 9,000 in the three months to September, with the ONS noting that this marked the 39th consecutive period where job openings had declined compared to the previous three months.

Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid delivered the latest news updates
( Image: ITV)
“After a long period of weak hiring activity, there are signs that the falls we have seen in both payroll number and vacancies are now levelling off,” Liz McKeown said in a statement.

She also said that the ONS was seeing different patterns among age groups, adding “the increase in unemployment was driven mostly by younger people”.

Elsewhere on today’s show, Richard and Susanna announced heartbreaking news from Gaza after 20 Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were released on Monday (October 13) as part of a US-backed ceasefire deal.

It was a tense and unsettling morning on Good Morning Britain as the live broadcast was abruptly halted for breaking news — leaving both viewers and presenters momentarily stunned. The usually upbeat program, known for its fast-paced mix of current affairs and entertainment, took an unexpectedly serious turn when the screen briefly flickered, a red “Breaking News” banner appeared, and the studio fell into a stunned silence. Moments later, co-host Ben Shephard was seen visibly shaken, his face dropping as he turned toward the camera and said grimly, “It’s bad…”

The interruption came just after 8:15 a.m., when the show was transitioning from a lighthearted segment about autumn travel deals to a scheduled interview with a health expert. Suddenly, producers cut in with urgent updates coming through their newsroom. The tone of the broadcast shifted instantly. “I’m so sorry, we have to pause for a moment,” Shephard said, glancing at his earpiece as he received instructions from the control room. “We’re getting reports of something quite serious — we’ll bring you the details as soon as we can confirm them.” His co-host, Kate Garraway, looked visibly alarmed as the set fell silent and the camera panned to a breaking news graphic.

For several tense seconds, viewers at home were left in limbo. The show’s familiar jingle was replaced with an ominous tone as producers scrambled to verify reports streaming in from multiple sources. When the broadcast returned, Shephard appeared composed but solemn. “We have to bring you some breaking news this morning,” he said carefully. “It’s developing rapidly, and we’re only just getting the first details… but it’s bad.” His voice trailed off momentarily as he appeared to read from his monitor, then paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.

The emotional impact of the broadcast lingered long after the program ended. Clips of Shephard’s solemn expression and his words — “It’s bad…” — became the defining image of the morning. For many viewers, it underscored how unpredictable live television can be when real-world crises break through the studio walls. “It’s one of those moments you won’t forget,” one fan tweeted. “You could see the humanity behind the news.”

By mid-afternoon, the network had stabilized its programming schedule, but speculation and discussion about the broadcast continued to dominate online spaces. Analysts called it a reminder of television’s enduring power to capture raw, unfiltered emotion. The image of a veteran presenter struggling to maintain composure while the world waits for answers struck a universal chord.

In the end, Good Morning Britain’s emergency interruption was more than just a piece of live television — it became a snapshot of collective anxiety in real time. The blend of professionalism and visible concern from its hosts resonated deeply with viewers, serving as a powerful reminder that behind every polished broadcast are real people reacting to unfolding events. Whatever the crisis turned out to be, one thing was certain: that morning on GMB would be remembered for the way it revealed the fragile human side of live news.

The hosts also spoke to Martin Lewis about preventing fraud and financial abuse, and celebrated Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph’s 80th birthday.