This Morning’s new hosts ‘revealed’ as Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard: TV presenters ‘impressed with their chemistry and clean cut images’ – after the Phillip Schofield affair scandal
Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard will reportedly be announced as the new permanent presenters of ITV's This Morning, replacing Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
It is believed the duo, who have both been guest presenters on the show but never together, have impressed ITV bosses with their 'chemistry' – possibly from an unaired screen test.
According to The sun49-year-old Ben's “clean image” also played a role in getting the job, as the show continues to distance itself from Phillip's scandalous affair with a younger male colleague.
Meanwhile, Cat, 47, has proven popular with viewers after being called in when Holly quit for the sake of her family amid a foiled kidnapping and killing her.
A source told the publication: 'Cat was really impressed when she walked in, and Ben is a consummate professional and hugely popular among the housewives group.'
Cat Deeley, 47, and Ben Shephard, 49, will reportedly be announced as the new permanent presenters of ITV's This Morning – replacing Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby
The duo, who have both been guest presenters on the show but never together, are said to have impressed ITV bosses (former presenters Phillip and Holly pictured on the show in 2018)
'(Ben is) an extremely safe pair of hands, has real gravitas and not a whiff of scandal about him – he's purer than pure.'
Before adding: 'A lot of people have been taken into account, but in the end it's all about chemistry.'
Cat and Ben are both said to be in final negotiations with the broadcaster and can expect salaries of £550,000 a year, which is £150,000 less than their processors.
Cat's representatives declined to comment. MailOnline has also contacted representatives for Ben and ITV.
It comes after Friday presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary stepped up as permanent presenters alongside a selection of rotating stars including Josie Gibson, Craig Doyle, Emma Willis, Rylan, Rochelle Humes, Andi Peters and Mollie King.
The Sun reports that Dermot will be 'abandoned' by bosses after missing out on the top job, to ensure he 'stays happy' and part of the future of the new look show.
Last week it was Emma Willis who emerged as the bookies' favorite to take on the role of regular presenter of This Morning after impressing viewers with her consummate performance.
Ben's “clean-cut image” also played a role in him getting the job, as the show continues to distance itself from Phillip's scandalous affair with a younger male colleague (Ben was photographed with Holly in September)
Meanwhile, Cat has proven popular with viewers after being called in when Holly quit for the sake of her family amid a foiled plot to kill and kidnap her (Cat pictured hosting Rylan in November)
It is believed that Cat and Ben are both in final negotiations with the broadcaster and can expect salaries of £550,000 a year, which is £150,000 less than their processors.
The veteran presenter kicked off the week with another popular competition, Rylan, five years after they worked together on the recently resurrected reality show Big Brother.
Emma, 47, previously presented Big Brother during its previous incarnation on Channel 5, while Rylan, 35, fronted sister show Bit On The Side, and the pair have also hosted This Morning together in the past.
The star replaced Cat, who co-hosted the show with Rylan earlier this month in what has been a revolving carousel of part-time presenters since Willoughby's abrupt departure in October.
And her undeniable popularity has been rightly noted among bookmakers, with Ladbrokes giving her odds of 11/10 to claim the coveted presenting role full-time.
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: 'Emma Willis made a big impact on This Morning today and after immediately causing a flurry of betting, she is the new favorite to replace Holly Willoughby.'
Former Friday presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary have become regular presenters alongside a selection of rotating stars
Last week it was Emma Willis who emerged as the bookies' favorite to take on the role of regular presenter of This Morning after impressing viewers with her consummate performance.
Elsewhere on the show, regular Alison Hammond is at odds of 2/1, Josie Gibson is 5/2/1, Rochelle Humes, , 6/1, Kate Garraway, 10/1 and Storm Huntley, 14/1, while Abbey Clancy and Angela Scanlon are tied at 16/1.
Fans have already called for Rylan and Emma to become regular presenters following Holly Willoughby's dramatic departure.
One wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: 'This morning is so much better now that Emma and Rylan are presenting together! They should be the permanent presenters from now on pls'
Another said: 'Rylan and Emma are the perfect hosts of #ThisMorning'
While a third said: 'Can we have Rylan and Emma Willis on permanently?'
It comes after Rylan was tipped as the bookies' favorite to replace Phillip Schofield and land a permanent role on the show.
William Hill announced that Rylan Clark has 5/4 odds to take over from Phillip Schofield and more recently Holly Willoughby, who left the show amid shocking kidnap and murder threats.