Susanna Reid has spoken out in defence of Madonna after the singer was forced to defend her appearance at the recent 65th Annual Grammy Awards. The Like A Prayer and Material Girl hitmaker was the subject of cruel comments as she appeared at the star-studded event on Sunday night (February 5).
The Queen of Pop presented the award for best pop duo/group performance to Sam Smith and Kim Petras for their hit Unholy, during the ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Wearing a black tuxedo with her eyebrows bleached blonde, Madonna praised "the rebels out there" while brandishing a whip.
However, her appearance prompted scrutiny and speculation on social media, which she has since responded to in a lengthy post on Instagram. Alongside a montage of clips from backstage at the awards show, she wrote: “It was an honor for me to Introduce Kim Petras and Sam Smith at the Grammys.
"I wanted to give the last award which was Album of the year, but I thought it was more important that I present the first trans-woman performing at the Grammys – a History making moment!! And on top of that she won a Grammy!! Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim – Many people chose to only talk about Close-up photos of me Taken with a long lens camera By a press photographer that Would distort anyone’s face!!
"Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny That permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 And feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong-willed, hard-working and adventurous."
She added: "I have never apologized for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start. I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come.
"In the words of Beyonce ‘You won’t break my soul’, I look forward to many more years of subversive behavior – pushing boundaries – Standing up to the patriarchy – and Most of all enjoying my life." She then concluded her post by writing "Bow down b***hes!"
And as they discussed her response on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (February 8), Susanna shared her support for the superstar. "She’s 64 years old and I think she is damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t because if she aged naturally people would still be focused and obsessed with her appearance," the presenter said.
"People are going to be obsessed with how Madonna appears and she thinks it is an example of misogyny, ageism and she also blames the long lens of the camera which took her photo. Frankly, do you know what? I think she should just look however she wants to look and there we go and there you have it."
Susanna, who was hosting the ITV news programme alongside Ed Balls, then added: "She should feel proud of herself whatever she does." it comes after her ITV co-star Lorraine Kelly shared her own thoughts on Madonna's changed appearance on her programme.
During Monday's edition of Lorraine, the show's entertainment correspondent Ross King told the host that Madonna looked "unrecognisable" at the awards ceremony on Sunday night. After being shown an image of Madonna at the Grammys, Lorraine asked: "What's going on? It looks like someone who has surgery to look like Madonna."
"She doesn't look like herself," the ITV presenter continued as Ross agreed. "She can do whatever she likes, she’s Madonna she can do whatever she wants, she’s paid her dues. But I think it’s a little bit disappointing that she feels she has to because I always thought Madonna was above the rules. It’s a shame, it’s a shame but she’s still Madonna."
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