Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s permanent replacements are finally set to take over presenting This Morning.
Following the departure of her longtime co-host, Holly had been hosting the show with a rotation of guest presenters.
But in October, Holly suddenly quit the ITV programme, shortly after a man was accused of plotting to kidnap and murder her.
Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard are reportedly set to replace Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield as the new full-time presenters of the show.
Both Cat, 47, and Ben, 49, have hosted the show separately in the past, and impressed producers with their on-screen talent.
The unofficial announcement comes after it was reported in December last year that Cat had “turned down” the job offer.
A source told The Mirror: “The cat’s out of the bag – they are the new dream team. ITV is planning to announce Cat and Ben as their new star pairing in March.”
“Obviously Ben is well known and loved by the ITV daytime audience thanks to his many years on the breakfast sofa. Cat is also a very recognisable face, thanks to her long stint of working on kids’ TV, although she’s been over in the US for a long time.”
“People were very impressed with her guest presenting stint last year alongside Rylan and thankfully the timing has all come together. Everyone is delighted.”
According to December reports in The Sun, pay packets for the new duo is understood to be around £550,000 each — £150,000 less than Holly and Phil.
A source told the outlet: “This is one of the most coveted gigs in UK television. ITV execs are determined to get it right.
“Cat really impressed when she came in, and Ben is a consummate professional and hugely popular with the housewife demographic.”
“He’s an extremely safe pair of hands, has real gravitas, and doesn’t have a whiff of scandal around him — he’s purer than pure.”
“Everyone is very excited, and the sense is that Ben and Cat will be a real boost to morale on the ground,” the insider added.
In October, following the unveiled plot to kidnap and murder Holly, the presenter quit the show and posted a statement to Instagram to share the news with her fans.
The TV personality wrote: “I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning.”
“To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together.”
“Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive. To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you.”
“Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You’ve been so loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day,” she continued.
“Richard and Judy said ‘We only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers.’”
“It’s been an honour to just be part of its story and I know this story has many chapters left to go. Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family.”
“I will miss you all so much,” she added, before signing off with, “Holly.”
