for CELEBRITY
After keeping us guessing for months, ITV have confirmed the identity of their two new hosts of flagship show This Morning, introducing a new ‘Golden Era’…
After months of speculation – with various runners and riders reported on – the brand new hosts of This Morning have finally been confirmed, as we expected. And they are none other than best’s favourite Ben Shephard and former Stars In Their Eyes presenter, Cat Deeley.
The pair are now the permanent replacements for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who left the troubled show in May and October respectively.
A thrilled Ben, 49, who currently presents Good Morning Britain said: ‘This really feels like a very special moment for Cat and I to be part of the next chapter of This Morning. ‘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.
‘It’s an honour to be trusted with the reins, join Alison [Hammond] and Dermot [O’Leary] and all the team that work on and off screen and do such a great job.’
For dad-of-two Ben, who is very much a trusted ITV face, also hosting quiz show Tipping Point, the move is of course,within the same daytime TV family – and, amongst other benefits – will allow him a bit more of a lie in.
PAT’S SWEET SHOW OF SUPPORT
Patrick Kielty took to Instagram to congratulate his wife on her new job, with a string of photos and the caption: ‘I didn’t know what a morning person actually was until I met this woman. She gets up every day with a smile on her face. At 5.30am, whistling in the shower… Which is bloody difficult cos she’s married to me. I should also mention she likes a chat. To anyone. About anything. Anywhere. If there’s anyone in the world made for a show called @thismorning, it’s this human. Strap yourself in @benshephardofficial And welcome to my world. We couldn’t be prouder of you @catdeeley Go get ’em Mama !”
For Cat, it is a bit more of a leap, as taking her place on This Morning’s sofa means quitting her career in America, as filming commitments will not allow her to do both.
Of course, for Cat, returning to ITV is in many ways coming home, and her career mirrors that of her This Morning predecessor. Like Holly Willoughby, she broke into modelling aged 14, thanks to a The Clothes Show competition, before moving into
