ALISON Hammond and Dermot O’Leary will replace Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning tomorrow after a dramatic few weeks of non stop daytime drama culminating with the sacrifice of ex-daytime King Phillip Schofield – it had shade, backstabbing and all round dramatics not even an episode of EastEnders could muster.
After his shock resignation on Saturday – following Schofe’s brother getting twelve years for fiddling with a child, Mr Schofield is now looking for a new job, and Politicalite found some old This Morning footage to help him in his quest – set to be tougher than The Cube.
His sacking came following the mass public backlash over an affair with a show runner, queue jumping and his brothers sexual abuse trial that led to a feud with Willoughby and saw a whopping 88% voting for him to be replaced in a Politicalite and Daily Express poll.
The Sun revealed that Holly Willoughby is now the Queen of Daytime TV and now she’s taking some well deserved time out to get ready for her crowning moment in June when she will return with her new co-host.
In the meantime, Brits will get to enjoy the fabulous coupling of Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary – the pair that all the celebrities and politicians want to be seen with. Things got so bad with the Schofe scandal that show guest bookers were repeatedly told that they would only appear on Fridays – when Phillip was off air.
The 61-year-old star has fronted the ITV1 daytime magazine show since 2002 but announced on Saturday that he is to step down from the show with immediate effect.
He wrote on Instagram: “I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story. Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind. I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.”
Phillip – who initially hosted the show alongside Fern Britton from 2002 until 2009 and has appeared alongside Holly Willoughby ever since – went on to thank his fans for their support over the years and confirmed that he will be back on screen to present the Inside Soap Awards in June.
He added: “So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers – and I’ll see you all for the Soap Awards next month.”
Following the announcement, Holly released a statement in which she thanked her former co-star for everything over the years, and according to ITV, she will remain in her position as she continues to front the show alongside other “members of the ‘This Morning’ family”, which could include the likes of Dermot O’Leary, Alison Hammond, Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, all of whom have presented the show on various Fridays and school holidays as cover.
She said: “Hi everyone. It’s been over 13 great years presenting ‘This Morning’ with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience, and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
Kevin Lygo, ITV’s managing director, media and entertainment, said: “Phillip is hands down one of the best broadcasters of his generation and we thank him for his two decades worth of absolutely terrific television on the This Morning sofa.
“This Morning is made by one of the best and most diligent teams in television, who produce over 12 hours of live television each week.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with Phillip.”
This Morning with Alison and Dermot airs Monday-Friday at 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
