Schofield and Willoughby stepped down from their presenting roles at the troubled show in May and October respectively – with Schofield first thought to have chosen to depart after reports of a rift with Willoughby, but a week later, publicly admitted to lying about having an affair with a younger colleague during his time at ITV.
The broadcasting company announced the news exclusively on the official This Morning social media channels earlier today, with a specially-made commercial introducing the two seasoned presenters and confirming their new roles.
Deeley and Shephard have been two of a rotating lineup of guest presenters of the show in recent months, but have now been confirmed to be taking over permanently.
“This really feels like a very special moment for Cat and I to be part of the next chapter of This Morning,” Shephard commented as his new permanent presenting role was announced today.
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“It’s an honour to be trusted with the reins, 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.”
ITV has announced Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard as the new permanent This Morning presenters / Credit: ITV
Cat added: “This Morning is a national institution.
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“Whenever it’s on, it’s like having your friends over – funny, smart, silly, heartfelt, informative and joyful – like all the greatest friendships. 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.”
Deeley and Shephard will make their debut hosting This Morning next month, and will front the Monday to Thursday shows.
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary will then present on Fridays.
Speaking on Deeley and Shephard’s new roles, Emma Gormley – who is the Managing Director at ITV Studios Daytime – said: “I feel immensely proud of everyone working on This Morning, as for a programme that has evolved many times over the last 35 years, it remains just as relevant and exciting as ever.
“We are thrilled to have Ben and Cat as our new This Morning hosts, and cannot wait to see them on that famous sofa together soon.”
Featured Image – ITV
TV & Showbiz
Review | ‘This is a night to remember, Manchester’ – Jason Derulo’s Co-op Live debut
Amy Williams
Who’s ready for another throwback night? Because this was absolutely a night already full of nostalgia and one to remember.
American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo hit Co-op Live last night as part of his ‘The Last Dance World Tour’, famous for hit songs like ‘Whatcha Say’, ‘Talk Dirty’, and ‘Savage Love’ – we all remember the Covid TikTok dance, don’t we? – as well as many more.
With over 250 million singles sold and tens of billions of streams, you best believe his one night in Manchester was sold out.
Running through the big hits and everything in between, he and his dancers made it a proper party atmosphere on this fine Saturday evening.
He did his throwback songs and more; from the moment he said, “We’re throwing it back to the beginning, back to 2009″, we knew his first debut single, ‘Whatcha Say’, was about to grace our ears, and that it did.
He also brought back absolute classics like ‘Ridin’ Solo’ (I definitely lost my voice during this one) In My Head and It Girl.
The Last Dance run of shows has seen him visit places like Leeds, London, Glasgow and Birmingham, finishing his UK leg right here in Manchester, before he carries on to Europe, but we’re confident our date had the best crowd so far.
And just when you think this couldn’t get any better, he brought his little boy on stage to say hi to everyone, too – shattered everyone’s hearts.
He has that many hit songs, it wasn’t possible to get through them all, so his DJ halfway through did a mash-up of songs he’s also written and featured in, including ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Black Eyed Peas, ‘Secret Love Song’ with Little Mix and ‘Replay’ by Iyaz.
We knew his voice was amazing – but can we have a moment for this man’s dance moves, keeping everyone on their feet at Co-op Live tonight, and his dancers made everyone want to start dance lessons tonight too, an absolutely incredible performance by all.
Jason Derulo told the audience, “This is a night to remember Manchester’, and that it absolutely was.
Emily Sergeant -
16th February 2024 
