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Susanna Reid forced to apologise after famous guest accuses her of being “hurtful”

The guest was visibly upset

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It’s normally GMB host Piers Morgan who offends guests during a heated debate, as he says whatever is on his mind, but this time it’s the usually quiet Susanna Reid who was blasted by a guest.

Famous singer Dionne Warwick slammed Susanna after the presenter tried to delve into the topic of superstar Whitney Houston, who was Dionne’s cousin.

Whitney tragically died at the age of 48 due to accidentally drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel back in 2012.

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Of course it would be a soft spot for Dionne because Whitney was a member of her family, but she point blank refused to answer questions about her and accused Susanna of being ‘hurtful’.

When Susanna tried to approach the subject of Whitney’s death, Dionne responded: “Oh yeah, we’re not going to discuss that.

“Okay that’s a bygone conclusion, so we’re not discussing that.”

Dionne got more upset when Susanna tried to push it, as she explained she was only asking because a new documentary about Whitney recently aired on BBC Two.

Dionne said: “First of all it’s a very personal thing and why would you guys even want to continue to hurt me?

“Because that does hurt so let’s just leave it there.”

Stunned Susanna and fellow presenter Ben Shephard instantly apologised. Susanna said: “I’m sorry that that hurts and I totally respect you. You’re absolutely right.”

Ben added: “That wasn’t our intention Dionne so apologies for that.”

After the awkward exchange the presenters brought the topic back to what Dionne was there to talk about, which was a performance she is going to give in aid of the Dot Com Children’s Foundation.

She is set to perform tomorrow night for a 45 minute set at the historic Royal Palace in Whitehall, to raise money for the charity.

Susanna wanted to bring up Whitney because of BBC Two’s recent documentary called Whitney: Can I Be Me which contained some new and explosive information about the singing superstar.

People in the documentary explained that contrary to popular belief it wasn’t Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby Brown who first introduced her to drugs, it was her own brothers.

The allegations destroyed the myth that the late singer’s ex-husband Bobby Brown was the bad boy that got her hooked on illegal substances and set her on a downward spiral that contributed to her death in 2012.

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In the documentary the singer’s former bodyguard Rudi Dolezal disputes the idea that she was a perfect church girl before she met the bad boy R&B star.

“She came from the ‘hood. She was born in Newark, New Jersey,” he told ABC News.

Revealing how she started dabbling in drugs, he said: “It happened because the brothers…knew the dealers in New Jersey, and they were older, and they were using.

“And then one day, they, you know, introduced her to that.”

Rudi’s comments confirm what Whitney’s brother Michael Houston told Oprah Winfrey in a 2013 interview, a year after her death.

He told the talk show queen that he introduced his sister to cocaine, saying: “At the time, the ’80s, it was acceptable…[drugs] wasn’t a bad word like it is now.”

Whitney’s friend and stylist Ellin LaVar also said in the documentary: “They [Whitney and her two brothers] did drugs.

“It was the thing you do. You go out, you party, you drink, you do a little drugs.

“Everybody did it. And her brothers gave it to her. It was just something you do to have fun.”


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor