Susanna Reid bluntly told she ‘doesn’t understand financial statements’ in ‘uncomfortable’ GMB interview with energy boss

Susanna Reid was firmly ‘put in her place’ by Utilita boss Bill Bullen on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain after struggling to get her head around the company’s financial statements.

The CEO of the electricity and gas supplier had joined the ITV programme to face difficult questions regarding the business’s accounts after an Ofgem report found that 17 energy firms had been failing struggling customers.

Reid, who was joined by the Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis, began the interview by signposting to Utilita’s records.

‘According to your latest financial reports submitted in 2021, the turnover is £813million, the gross profit is £81million… so your gross profit is £81million,’ she said.

However, Bullen hit back and stated: ‘Susanna, I’m really sorry, but that clearly shows that you don’t understand how to read financial statements.

Bill Bullen told Susanna Reid she doesn’t understand financial statements (Picture: ITV)

‘I’m sure Martin, who is sitting next to you, completely understands that it’s the bottom line that counts.’

‘It’s the bottom line that matters,’ he added. ‘I know this story has been reverberating around the Twittersphere for months now, but I’m sorry, it’s from ignorance. People just do not understand what they’re looking at.’

Viewers branded the scenes ‘uncomfortable’, but applauded Bullen for correcting the television presenter.

‘He looks like a man on the edge,’ one said. ‘Very uncomfortable to watch and perhaps @susannareid100 needs guidance on how to interpret a balance sheet.’

Another wrote on Twitter: ‘Watching the CEO of Utilita putting Susanna Reid back in her box after she tried to read their financial statements was fantastic. Now shhhhh.’

A third added: ‘Well done for correcting Susanna Reid re: financial accounts. So annoying when you see GP figures in the media in an attempt to reflect total financial performance.’

Reid had pointed to Utilita’s gross profit during an interview on Wednesday’s GMB (Picture: ITV)

On Tuesday’s programme, Reid voiced her sympathy towards Prince Harry and Meghan Markle while discussing their upcoming Netflix docuseries, revealing that she herself had endured the ‘horrible’ experience of being followed by press.’

‘I’ve been in a car and I know there has been a photographer in a car following me,’ she told co-star Robert Rinder, and guests Kevin McKenzie and Andrew Pierce, to which McKenzie pointed out the images wouldn’t be used.

‘I understand there’s a remedy after the effect, but what I’m saying is that didn’t stop the fact that it happened at the time,’ she continued.

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‘If you’re involved in a news story, and I’m not just talking about celebrities, press photographers will be outside of your house.

‘It can be a pretty horrible experience and I think a lot of people watching don’t realise it can be a horrible experience.’

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.

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‘Susanna, I’m really sorry, but that clearly shows that you don’t understand how to read financial statements.’