21 August 2023 , 10:02
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Judi Love has offered her support to pal Alison Hammond, who this year has been nominated for Best Presenter at the NTAs.
Her nomination comes after This Morning host Holly Willoughby and her former co-star Phillip Schofield have been snubbed in the category. While the former best friends are normally firm favourites, they have faced a string of controversies in recent years following allegations they skipped the queue for the late Queen Elizabeth's lying in state.
More recently, Phil announced his departure from the programme after admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger male colleague on the show. Holly, who hosted alongside Schofield from 2009 onwards, has continued to present the show with a series of co-stars, while MPs have called on ITV bosses to address claims of toxicity and bullying behind the scenes.
Loose Women legend Judi Love has thrown her support behind Alison Hammond (Ian West/PA)
Alison has been nominated for Best Presenter at the NTAs (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Since Phil's departure, Alison who was a relief presenter on a Friday has stepped in alongside Holly on numerous occasions and has been a huge hit with viewers. Now, Loose Women's Judi has called for Alison to walk away with the award.
Writing in her OK! Magazine column, the comic said: "My gosh, does she deserve this! I'm ready to give her a standing ovation. My girl Alison is up for Best Presenter at this year's National Television Awards and I couldn't be more proud of her." Judi went on to write: "I love her interviews with Hollywood stars – they're iconic. Award this queen!"
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This year, Loose Woman has been nominated for Best Daytime TV Show and will be going head to head with This Morning. However, Judi believes she and her co-stars may be in with a strong chance of taking the trophy home. "I think we're in with a real chance this year," she said before adding: "Let's hope we can bring it home. I can't wait to walk that red carpet with my ladies."
But while Judi is certain that she and the Loose Women stars will win, This Morning staff believe that their nomination is "two fingers" to their critics. Sources told the Mirror that they are "very grateful" that viewers are standing by them. They added: "We'd love to win especially for our fantastic producers and crew who have been making programmes every day despite all the troubles and unfair criticism that was thrown at a show they're proud to work on."
Last year, the programme received a mixed reaction as it won the NTA for Best Daytime Show for the fifth year in a row on October 1.