- Deeley, Shephard debut excitedly
- Replace Schofield, Willoughby
- Address toxic culture allegations
Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard have expressed their “utmost excitement” regarding their debut appearance on This Morning.
The two expressed gratitude to the audience for their well-wishes, with Shephard stating that they were “ecstatic” to be hosting the program.
The personalities have replaced Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who both resigned last year following an extensive search by ITV.
Schofield departed in the beginning due to rumors of a rift with Willoughby. He confessed to having fabricated an affair with a junior colleague one week later.
Subsequent to that period, several guest presenters have graced the program, including Deeley and Shephard, who were officially announced as permanent moderators a month ago.
They received well-wishes for their inaugural episode from Ant and Dec and football analyst Chris Kamara.
While Kamara made jokes about his companion Shephard, Ant and Dec used to joke that Deeley was a party girl while they worked with her on SM: TV. Sunday.
Beginning their first episode, the duo discussed the Mother’s Day photo of the Princess of Wales and her children, which multiple photo agencies have since withdrawn due to “manipulated” concerns.
Alison Hammond is “absolutely not” a candidate.
Deeley ascended to prominence on the children’s programs SM: TV and CD: UK before becoming a major star in the United States and winning an Emmy for the primetime talent show So You Think You Can Dance.
Shephard began his professional life at The Bigger Breakfast and T4, where he also served as a primary presenter on Good Morning Britain until his departure to join This Morning.
Monday through Thursday, the magazine will be hosted by the tandem, whereas Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond will continue to present the Friday edition.
Prior to this, it had been speculated that Hammond would take over the primary event; tabloid press reported that she had received a “huge pay rise” in exchange for increasing her workload.
She downplayed the rumors, however, in an interview with The Sunday Times over the weekend: “We’re the Friday boys! We absolutely adore Fridays!
When questioned whether increasing her appearance on the program had been a topic of conversation, she responded, “Absolutely not.” How am I to do so?
“I reside in Birmingham and participate in For the Love of Dogs and Bake Off. I never desired that position. We went above and beyond last year due to unforeseen circumstances, but Cat and Ben will save the day.”
Toxic organizational ethos
The début of Deeley and Shephard concludes an extended period of turmoil at This Morning, which guest presenters have hosted since the previous year.
Twenty years after Schofield had become a regular on the show, the revelation of his affair precipitated a significant scandal and a crisis for the network.
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The House of Commons media committee reported in August that a “significant number” of former and current employees had communicated allegations of “pervasive toxic working environments, bullying, discrimination, and harassment” occurring in the background.
A former frequent contributor, Dr. Ranj Singh, has also expressed disapproval, stating that the “culture at This Morning had become toxic.”
The CEO of ITV has stated that allegations of the program having a “toxic culture” are “not recognized.”
This Morning was eliminated from contention for the first time in thirteen years at the audience-voted National Television Awards in September 2023.
The program presently garners an estimated daily viewership of 800,000.
