After months of rocky waters and a fall-out that almost sank ITV’s flagship breakfast present, there was a temper of excited aid among the many This Morning group yesterday – as new presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard took the helm for the primary time.
For Deeley, nonetheless, it was a skin-of-the-teeth arrival. For 18 years she has been a fixture on US tv because the presenter of expertise present So You Think You Can Dance.
But on Saturday, she flew again to the UK on a red-eye service from New York and arrived on the north-London home she shares with husband Patrick Kielty and sons Milo, eight, and James, 5, with simply hours to spare earlier than her first go to to the This Morning set.
On Saturday Cat Deeley flew again to the UK on a red-eye service from New York with simply hours to spare earlier than her first go to to the This Morning set forward of internet hosting with Ben Shephard
‘Made it and the sun is shining,’ she enthused in a clip shared on social media.
On Sunday she additionally met Shephard for the primary time for the reason that pair signed as much as exchange the previous long-term co-hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
One present insider tells me: ‘Cat and Ben are seen as the saviours. They made a special trip to the studio on Sunday, which was the first and only chance they had before the launch.
‘They know one another from old and have always got on really well. They have been in touch, despite being on opposite sides of the Atlantic, but nothing could beat their first hug as This Morning’s new dream group.’
Bosses can solely hope the ‘dream team’ finish the interval of high-profile shocks that rocked the 35-year-old present — from Schofield’s ‘unwise but not illegal’ relationship with a young worker, to Willoughby’s traumatic resignation final 12 months following an alleged plot to kidnap and homicide her.
The large smiles and lightness of tone on-air yesterday from Deeley and Shephard couldn’t have been a higher distinction to this. A message from ITV’s court docket jesters Ant and Dec, with whom Cat hosted music present CD:UK within the early Noughties, added to the household environment.
I’m instructed the choice to function the Geordie duo, apart from making Cat smile, was to remind viewers the place she got here from following concern amongst some ITV bosses that she would possibly seem too ‘Hollywood sparkly’ for the channel’s daytime followers.
One insider mentioned: ‘You can’t get away from the very fact Cat has spent almost 20 years in Tinseltown, so it was necessary to remind folks she is definitely home-grown, ITV expertise. In the view of essentially the most senior bosses, Cat has come home, they usually need everybody to know that.’
Viewers took to social media to welcome the pair, although some bemoaned the very fact little else concerning the programme had modified. ‘Lovely to tune into some professional presenters, instead of a giggly pair of mates who think everything is about them,’ wrote one.
Shephard and Ms Deeley met for the for the primary time for the reason that pair signed as much as exchange the previous long-term co-hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on Sunday
But one disenchanted fan mentioned it was a misplaced alternative to not have given the present a facelift. ‘Feels like Ben & Cat are just the latest on the conveyer belt of presenters rather than it feeling like a fresh start, which it arguably should.’
It was actually a giant change for Deeley within the wardrobe division. More used to the OTT glitter of a actuality TV dance present, she knew her trend selections on the This Morning couch could be pored over by viewers.
While her predecessor Holly used her personal costly trend professional, Cat opted to be guided by the in-house fashion group, who selected a cream tweed belted mini costume from excessive road chain & Other Stories, priced at £135.
There was a slight tweak, with the presenter tying the belt relatively than utilizing the buckle. A supply near the star mentioned: ‘Cat is more than aware how much what she wears on the sofa will be critiqued. She also knows it will be one of the ways she is judged by the viewers, which is what is most important to her.’
As a veteran of GMTV and the BBC’s Good Morning Britain, Shephard is used to the early breakfast present begins, and mates say they received’t trouble Deeley both.
Kielty has mentioned she springs off the bed at 5.30am on daily basis and sings within the bathe earlier than ‘downing two coffees’ and making him really feel unhealthy for staying in mattress. Though the couple are family names within the UK, each have been far greater stars abroad for the previous few years. From Tuesday to Friday, Kielty is in Ireland, the place he hosts the long-running discuss present, The Late Late Show.
His absence will imply Cat has a juggle on her fingers, and was one of many causes for her preliminary reluctance to decide to the This Morning couch. One buddy mentioned: ‘Cat will be the ultimate working mum but for a lot of the time she will be without Patrick, who was told when he took The Late Late Show that he would have to be in Dublin most of the week.
‘Cat isn’t beneath any phantasm that it’s going to be simple, however she is a professional. She has in place the precise assist and help to handle each being a mum and internet hosting This Morning.’
Much rests on Ben and Cat — or BenCat as ITV employees have already dubbed them.
It was stunning to some that there was no large promotional push for the relaunch, however sources on the community say this was a aware resolution.
Bosses needed the present to return to being centred on the content material relatively than upsetting headlines concerning the off-screen antics of the expertise.
On its first day, that mission actually appears to have been completed. ‘It was lovely there this morning,’ says a member of the manufacturing crew. ‘There was no drama and the vibe was just brilliant.’
Whether the pair can match the charisma of Schofield and Willougby of their heyday, solely time will inform. But bosses will definitely be relieved that the brand new duo appear unlikely to breed the off-set turmoil.
