This Morning pick permanent hosts after fans slam 'revolving door' of presenters
Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley appear to have won the race to land big-money deals and become the new faces of This Morning.
ITV bosses have finally made their decision have have selected them to replace Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. Execs have been hunting for the right combination since Holly followed her former friend out of the door, quitting the show after almost 15 years.
She departed months after Schofield sensationally left after admitted to a "unwise, but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague at the daytime show while he was still married. Since the storm surrounding his exit, This Morning decision makers have road-tested a number of candidates with Alison Hammond, Josie Gibson, Emma Willis, Christine Lampard, Rylan Clark and Dermot O'Leary just a few of the stars to stand in.
Ben Shephard has won the race for the This Morning sofa, it is being reported (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Ben, 49, and Cat, 47,have also taken their turn in the hot-seat and it appears bosses have settled on them, which will come as a huge blow to Good Morning Britain, who begin their search for his replacement with Ben's clean-cut image seen as a huge factor in him swapping shows.
The new duo are understood to be earning £550,000 each a year and a source told The Sun: "“This is one of the most coveted gigs in UK television. ITV execs are determined to get it right. Cat really impressed when she came in, and Ben is a consummate professional and hugely popular with the housewife demographic.
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“He’s an extremely safe pair of hands, has real gravitas, and doesn’t have a whiff of scandal around him - Cat is the number one target to replace Holly, but negotiations are ongoing." They will bring a real boost to morale among the team, the insider went on, with an announcement reportedly weeks away. MirrorOnline have approached ITV for comment.
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Last week, This Morning staff hit out at the “unfair witch hunt” that has rocked the show after it was cleared of having a toxic culture. Sources said there was relief but not surprise at the findings in the external review by Jane Mulcahy KC. The programme had come under fire from MPs and stars such as Dr Ranj, who used to work on it. But Ms Mulcahy said that for the period under review, there was no finding of a toxic culture.
She found ITV made considerable efforts to seek out the truth on an alleged relationship between Schofield and a runner on the show in 2019 but was unable to uncover relevant evidence. The 61-year-old, who shares two children with wife Stephanie, left the daytime show after he admitted to lying about a past relationship with a younger male ex-colleague.
ITV bosses previously said Schofield and his ex-lover repeatedly denied allegations of a relationship until the presenter quit ITV and officially apologised. A This Morning source said: “The claims of toxicity were grossly unfair and super-charged by MPs who were in it to make a name for themselves. Everyone is glad this review has found nothing untoward. People just want to move on but there is a sense of anger about what has unfolded.”
A second source added: “There is relief that we can get on making telly now that this misinformation has been called out.” Chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee Dame Caroline Dinenage has previously told a parliament select committee how she and other members had been contacted by a large number of individuals who “raised claims of toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment” on ITV shows.
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