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ITV’s new This Morning presenting duo has been introduced following the departures of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby final 12 months.
Schofield dramatically give up the present in June 2023, after which he admitted to mendacity about an affair with a younger male colleague, and, 4 months later, ITV had been thrown one other blow when Willoughby revealed she was stepping away from the daytime collection.
Ever since, there was a rotating roster of presenters, together with Craig Doyle, Rylan Clark, Lisa Snowdon and I’m a Celebrity contestant Josie Gibson. Hosts of the breakfast present’s Friday episodes, Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond, had been additionally given an elevated function within the wake of the departures.
However, the brand new fastened faces of This Morning have been confirmed to be Cat Deeley, 47, and Good Morning Britain co-host Ben Shephard. 49 – and they’ll host episodes from Monday to Thursday. O’Leary and Hammond will current the Friday episode as common.
Speaking about his appointment, Shephard stated: “This really feels like a very special moment for Cat and I to be part of the next chapter of This Morning. It’s an honour to be trusted with the reigns, join Alison and Dermot and all the team that work on and off screen and do such a great job.
“For the last 10 years I’ve been waking up with our ITV daytime audience on GMB and I now look forward to spending time with Cat, welcoming the viewers home after the school run or from their early morning routines, with a cup of tea and a mix of everything that makes This Morning so loved.”
Meanwhile, Deeley, who referred to as the daytime present “a national institution”, added: “This Morning is and always will be the viewer’s show. Ben and I both know how much people love it, and with the help of an amazing team of people, we’re going to do our best to take care of it.”
This Morning’s Editor, Martin Frizell, referred to as Deeley and Shephard’s hiring because the present’s full-time hosts “the start of another exciting chapter in the show’s 35 year journey”.
Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard are the brand new faces of ‘This Morning’
(Shutterstock)
The pair had been revealed to be ITV’s best choice to develop into the fastened faces of the collection, in what has been referred to as “one of the most coveted gigs in UK television”, late final 12 months.
At the time, a supply advised The Sun their casting “will be a real boost to morale” among the many present’s manufacturing workforce after a rocky 12 months, stating: “Lots of people were considered. Ultimately it’s about chemistry.”
They continued: “Cat really impressed when she came in, and Ben is a consummate professional and hugely popular with the housewife demographic. He’s an extremely safe pair of hands, has real gravitas, and doesn’t have a whiff of scandal around him.”
Cat Deeley gained function of ‘This Morning’ presenter after ‘impressing’ producers
(Getty Images)
According to the outlet, they may have the identical wage of roughly £550,000 every, which is £150,000 lower than what Schofield and Willoughby had been incomes. An ITV spokesperson advisedThe Independent: “We don’t comment on speculation.”
Deeley’s profession was launched as co-host of kids’s present SM:TV Live, successful a Bafta Children’s Award within the course of alongside Ant and Dec. She additionally hosted its music spin-off present CD:UK, from 1998 to 2005, and later introduced Fame Academy in addition to a reboot of Stars in Their Eyes.
Since 2006, Deeley has been the host of So You Think You Can Dance within the United States.
Meanwhile, former GMTV host Shephard has been a member of the GMB workforce since 2014, and can also be recognized for internet hosting the sport present Tipping Point.
Ben Shephard is transferring from ‘Good Morning Britain to ‘This Morning’ full time
(Getty Images)
It’s been a controversial 12 months for This Morning because of Schofield’s resignation, which was initially believed to be the results of a rising feud with Willoughby. However, days after he give up the programme, the presenter sensationally admitted to mendacity about having an affair with a a lot younger male worker.
He was subsequently dropped by his agent, YMU, and resigned from ITV altogether.
Willoughby’s determination to give up the present in October – after 14 years – got here after a fright in her private life; the host was given “indefinite leave” after a person was charged with soliciting to commit homicide and incitement to commit kidnap.
In her full assertion, she “thanked everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years”, including: “This is such a difficult goodbye. You are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together. Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive.
Holly Willoughby stepped away from ‘This Morning’ in October
(Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
“To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you. Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You’ve been so loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day. “Richard and Judy said ‘we only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers’. It’s been an honour to just be part of its story and I know this story has many chapters left to go.
“Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family.“I will miss you all so much. Holly.”
