Susanna Reid breaks 'hugging ban' to embrace Adrian Dunbar

4 March 2020

Susanna Reid broke her coronavirus "hugging ban" to embrace Adrian Dunbar before his interview on 'Good Morning Britain'.

Susanna Reid

The 'GMB' co-host has known the 'Line of Duty' star since 1985 when they appeared alongside one another in 'The Price', in which his character kidnapped Susanna's alter-ego in her TV debut, and upon seeing him today (04.03.20) she decided against enforcing her current no-hugging rules, amid the worldwide outbreak.

She said: "I did break my hugging ban when you came into the studio."

But Adrian insists he is not worried about the virus - which attacks the respiratory system - interrupting 'Line of Duty' filming.

Speaking on the show, he said: "I haven't really thought about that. I'm of the opinion that it's a really bad flu and if you're old and you have respiratory problems you should really be aware of it, but just follow the advice beyond that.

"Wash your hands."

The 61-year-old actor has already started filming the sixth series of the popular police procedural programme, and he admitted the show could return as early as the end of 2020.

Asked when the next series is out, he said: "Well, we don't know, probably the end of the year ... maybe January or February, something like that.

"At the moment we know what's happening up to the end of episode four. We don't know what's happening in five or six.

"Some people possibly do, but that's where we are at the moment.

"We definitely don't know what happens in [episode] six."

The BBC recently confirmed the cast had started filming the sixth series of the thriller.

A behind the scenes snap saw Adrian and Martin Compston as their characters Superintendent Ted Hastings and Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott respectively.

They will be joined once again by fellow series lead Vicky McClure, who returns in the role of Detective Inspector Kate Fleming.

The new season - which is set 18 months on from the fifth series - will centre on a new case for AC-12, with Kelly Macdonald joining the cast as new, enigmatic Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson.