Susanna Reid fights tears as Southport survivor makes heratbreaking admission
Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid was left emotional during an interview with Leanne Lucas, who was critically injured in the Southport knife attack last year
Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid couldn't hold back her emotions during Wednesday's (21 May) programme as she spoke with Leanne Lucas, a guest who survived the horrific Southport stabbing incident last year.
Susanna, alongside co-anchor Richard Madeley, welcomed both Leanne, a yoga instructor who sustained critical injuries in the assault that tragically ended the lives of three youngsters - Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Aguiar - and Patrick Green, CEO of Ben Kinsella Trust to discuss an impactful new initiative.
Leanne has bravely stepped forward to launch the Let's Be Blunt campaign, a drive to encourage a societal shift towards using blunt-ended kitchen knives instead of traditional sharp ones as a measure to reduce severe injuries.
Upon introducing Leanne to the show's audience, Susanna addressed her own admiration for the guest's resilience.
"I'm just sitting here in awe of your courage to be here this morning, to reflect on what happened last summer. I know that you will have been changed and become a very different person because of what happened to you," said Susanna.
She continued: "I know that it's vital to you that you find something that helps you get something out of the trauma and tragedy, that means that you could, in the future, perhaps, save lives. And, that's what this campaign is all about, isn't it?"
Leanne, visibly moved by Susanna's words, shared: "Yes. Evil will not win. There has to be something that comes out of this, there has to be change. This cannot happen to the families it happened to, and we just sit back and do nothing about it. I will not let that happen."
The yoga instructor discussed her path to recovery and stressed the crucial need for open discussions on knife crime. Heart-wrenchingly admitting that she hadn't stepped back into her role as a teacher, Leanne expressed uncertainty about her future in teaching, reports Bristol Live.
"No. My role was a teacher. To be responsible for the safety of children. That's a really difficult position for me to ever be back in again, to be responsible for anybody else," Leanne somberly confided to Richard and Susanna.
"It's a really difficult situation to be in when you're faced with something you just never imagined could happen."
When Richard inquired if feeling she had done "the best" she could during the attack had aided her healing, Leanne responded: "Not really, because look what happened. We can't change the result of what happened."
Continuing with passionate conviction, Leanne added: "So, if we can do anything to make sure that people don't feel the way I feel, the way the families feel, the way Southport feels, then we will continue to talk about this. I think that's one of the main things I'm trying to say, is we need to talk about knife crime."
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