Jake Quickenden has thrown his hat in the ring to take over from Phillip Schofield as co-host of Dancing on Ice.
The dad-of-one won the series back in 2018 alongside his pro partner Vanessa Bauer.
When asked who should host the upcoming series, the former X Factor contestant told The Sun Online: “To be fair, I wouldn’t mind doing it myself.”
“I’ll throw my name in the hat,” Jake continued. “I’ve won it, so I might as well present it.”
“I’d give it a go, who knows how I’d feel but yeah if the call came I’d do it.”
“There’s a lot of presenters out there, I think when it comes to presenting, a lot of these shows are sort of given to old hands.”
“I think sometimes it would be nice to see new presenters come along and give it a go.”
On May 20, Phillip announced his departure from This Morning with “immediate effect”.
In a statement shared to his Instagram Stories, the 61-year-old wrote: “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,” Phillip continued. “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.”
“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.”
In a statement released to The Daily Mail on May 26, Phillip admitted to having an affair with a younger man, describing it as “unwise, but not illegal”.
He confessed that he lied about the relationship to ITV, his colleagues, his friends and his agents at YMU.
Phillip also confessed to lying to The Mail on Sunday, which published the story earlier this month.
His statement read: “I am making this statement via the Daily Mail to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story which they wanted to write about me a few days ago.”
“The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning,” Phillip continued. “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.”
“Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.”
“When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing,” Phillip continued. “Nobody “forced” me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me.”
“In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship.”
“But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now,” Phillip continued.
“I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”
Phillip continued: “I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me,” he stated.
“I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.”
“To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so. I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected.”
You can read a full timeline of the scandal surrounding Phillip here.
