Good Morning Britain was in a presenter shake-up on Monday morning on the ITV breakfast show, as Susanna Reid was ascent from the studio.
The TV presenter was instead presenting the show from Ukraine, to mark one year since Russia invaded the country.
The 52-year-old was presenting live from the country after a week off ITV screens during the half term break, while co-hosts Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh were in the studio.
She told viewers: “I have come back and crossed from Poland this time into Ukraine. It’s taken hours because it is a massive country. It takes about 10 hours to get from Poland to here in Kyiv.”
Susanna described the devastation caused by the war, as she told viewers “nothing prepared me for what I would witness myself.”
The mum-of-three went on to praise the country’s ‘resilience’ as she said: “They might be broken in part by what they’ve been through, but they’re not destroyed - they are bouncing back.”
Susanna also praised President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding: “They have faith in their president Zelensky. He is symbolic to them, he is their resilient leader.”
Speaking from Borodyanka in Ukraine, Susanna said of the town: “It is on the road to Kyiv and it is still largely in ruins.
“These are not military targets. They’re homes of children, of elderly grandparents, all destroyed a year ago as part of that early and vicious assault on the capital.
“War continues to rage right now in the east and the south of the country.”
She continued: “I tried to get an idea of the comparison in the UK. I grew up in Purley just outside London.
“Borodyanka is the same size of population and distance from the capital. In this place residents are still literally picking up the pieces.”
Good Morning Britain viewers took to social media to applaud Susanna for her segment in the country a year on from the devastating invasion.
Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: “Shout out to Susanna for being in Ukraine this week. Not many TV presenters would be brave enough to accept such an assignment.”
Another tweeted: “Take care and stay safe as always. What you're doing out there is appreciated,” as a fellow viewer urged: “Stay safe.”
“It takes courage to do what you are doing this week,” another viewer tweeted.
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV
