Neither has to worry about the school run any more. Reid has three sons, Sam, Finn and Jack, all in their early 20s, from a long relationship with former partner Dominic Cotton. Balls and Cooper have two daughters, Ellie and Maddy, and a son, Joel, also in their 20s.
All the children fit into the age range for Gen Z. Do Reid and Balls think the stereotypes for that generation – chronically online, militant about work-life balance, woke yet unplugged from mainstream politics – are accurate? “I don’t know about stereotypes,” Reid says. “I mean, I definitely am guilty of being obsessed with my phone, lost in an algorithm, having to battle against a phone addiction, and being sucked into seeing certain things. So I sympathise with anyone who feels like that. That is a problem. But I think that’s something that crosses generations.”
“I would say engagement with current affairs amongst that generation is high,” Balls adds. “They’re really interested in the world, and they’re worried about the world… and there are certain subjects where, I think [my children] are always slightly worried that I’m going to say the wrong thing, and they’re probably right.”
They’re also a generation facing new uncertainties, he notes, such as how confident they can be of not being conscripted to fight in a war. “There’s a question mark and a worry, and I think the third thing,” he adds, “is it’s hard for that generation in terms of jobs and wages and the housing market and having a fair chance to have a go in life”.
Both are very private about their children’s lives; Reid extends that to her romantic life, although she was compelled by Morgan to admit to her relationship with Steve Parish, Crystal Palace chairman, back in 2018, which ended the following year, with Reid telling Morgan on air, “Let’s not dwell. I’m fine, we’re fine, we’re very good friends” and insisting she would never marry.