Newsreader Susanna Reid has poured scorn on people who claim her on-air attire is “too distracting”.

The Breakfast host, who has attracted criticism for inadvertently revealing too much flesh while broadcasting, told Radio Times: “People seem to be shocked that women have breasts. There’ll be complaints that there is literally a shadow showing.”

However, Reid's outfits have also earned her a legion of online admirers, who regularly take to Twitter to confess their enthusiasm, which she says is only to be expected: “People are always going to talk about what women wear on TV. It’s a fact of life.” 

But she also admitted that she’s far less glamorous outside the studio, claiming that “the rest of the time it’s jeans and scruffy T-shirts."

“I don’t dress up and I don’t wear make-up. When I collect the kids from school on Friday afternoon, people think a different woman has come to pick up the kids. They simply do not recognise me,” said the 41-year-old.

Read Susanna’s full interview in which she discusses her life, career and plans for the future in this week’s Radio Times.