Ed Balls revealed he once bought his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, a size 16 dress for Christmas.
The former Labor cabinet minister, 57, left co-presenter Susanna Reid in stitches on Good Morning Britain after revealing he bought his slender wife, 55, the dress that was too big for her, after guessing your size.
The comical moment came after news presenter Charlotte Hawkins revealed that a survey said a third of people claim to love gifts they actually hate.
Sharing her own experience, she said: “I once bought a dress from Yvette and she looked at me and said, ‘Honestly, do you have the receipt?’ I will remove it immediately.”
“She said, ‘Thanks for thinking about it, but frankly I’ll never use it, I’ll have the receipt and I’ll pick it up.’ It was my best effort, it didn’t take me long to be honest.
Susanna joked: “Christmas must be fun in your house… was it the style or the size that you really got wrong?”
To which Ed replied: “The size was 14 or 16, I don’t remember, I went for the size.”
Susanna added: “Yes, you did, you really did, from what I know of Yvette.”
Ed Balls, 57, left co-presenter Susanna Reid speechless on Good Morning Britain after revealing he bought his slender wife Yvette Cooper, 55, a size 16 dress after guessing her size.
On the other hand, Susanna said she would be “grateful” for any gift given to her and that it’s “really strange” to be ungrateful.
She said: “I think it’s strange to say to someone ‘I don’t like it’, if someone has given you a gift it shows they have been thoughtful.”
However, Ed said he had previously been honest with his wife about a birthday gift he didn’t like.
He said: “One birthday Yvette bought me a colander and a saucepan, I didn’t need a colander for my birthday.”
Pip Heywood, CEO of Thortful, which commissioned the survey of 2,000 Brits, said: ‘A meaningful message can often mean more than a last-minute impulse purchase.
‘Our research shows that we are a sentimental nation that appreciates a heartfelt message rather than wasted gifts. This Christmas, we are fostering more thoughtful and meaningful connections across the country.”
According to a new survey, up to 69 per cent of Brits wouldn’t even dream of telling someone they didn’t like a gift they were given, and a third regularly pretend to like gifts they actually hate.
In fact, half admit that they often receive Christmas gifts they don’t like, to the point that 60 percent believe they have perfected the art of faking their joy.
Ed revealed he once bought his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, a size 16 dress for Christmas, but she asked for the receipt.
Sharing her own experience, she said: “I once bought a dress from Yvette and she looked at me and said, ‘Honestly, do you have the receipt?’ I’ll take it back
Ed and Yvette Cooper outside their London home in 2016
The awkward moment comes after Ed was forced to skip an interview with his wife Yvette on Good Morning Britain earlier this month after sparking a row over “bias”.
The former Labor Cabinet minister left co-presenter Susanna to ask questions during the Home Secretary’s appearance this morning.
“As you know, she is my wife, so I will have no part in this,” Mr. Balls said.
It came after ITV admitted he would not be allowed to question his spouse again following an outcry in August.
The previous interview was branded “extremely embarrassing” by viewers concerned about the potential conflict of interest, although bosses insisted the pair behaved “professionally” and it was not against the rules.
Thousands of people made official complaints to the regulator about the breakfast show episode in which Ms Cooper was questioned about the Labor government’s handling of the riots.
Ed served as Education Secretary and shadow chancellor before losing his seat in the House of Commons in 2015 and pursuing a career in television.
During the exchange on August 5, he asked his wife if officers had policed protests by far-right activists and pro-Palestine protesters differently.
Ed Balls left co-presenter Susanna Reid to ask questions during the Home Secretary’s appearance.
Yvette, who has three children with him, responded by saying police had to operate “without fear or favour, whatever the types of crimes they face”.
He also asked if there had been a “two-tiered approach” to policing, and whether police had been “softer and more cautious” in policing the Gaza protests compared to a “tougher” approach over the previous week. .
Ahead of that interview, Ed told viewers he had “genuine questions” for Yvette as he had “rarely seen her in the last week” due to the recent disorder.
The following month, the ITV boss promised the scenes would not be repeated, despite Ofcom’s failure to carry out an investigation.
Chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said: “Would we do it again?” No. Was it impartial, fair and balanced? And did they behave professionally? Yeah.’