Carol Vorderman has predicted who would replace Phillip Schofield on This Morning, and she is already a fan of the show.
The 61-year-old presenter announced his retirement from the ITV daytime show after more than 20 years, with Holly Willoughby continuing to present with other members of the This Morning crew.
The duo were believed to be ‘barely communicating’ behind the scenes, and it was said that their relationship had ‘cooled,’ with Phil stepping down following a “very difficult last few days.”
Phil’s exit from the show occurred just a week after he admitted to having a connection with a considerably younger guy who worked as a runner on This Morning.
In a long letter to the Daily Mail, Phil stated their connection was ‘more than a friendship’ and argued it was ‘unwise but not illegal’, and revealed that he had lied about the relationship to his superiors and colleagues, and would now be stepping down from ITV with ‘immediate effect’.
Carol, a former Countdown star, chimed in on who may come in to replace Phil as the narrative progressed.
Carol intimated that Alison Hammond will take on the new permanent post alongside Holly during a visit on Have I Got News For You before the news of Phil’s infidelity surfaced.
‘Probably Holly and Alison, I would have thought,’ the 62-year-old said, denying that she would be taking over the role.
‘That’s where I’d put my money,’ she added.
Though it has not been determined who would take over as permanent host, the new Great British Bake Off presenter has been stated to be ‘likely’ to spend more time in London shooting This Morning.
An insider told The Sun: ‘It’s looking highly likely she will be asked to do more days a week on This Morning — and therefore she will be spending more time in London.’
Alison was earlier believed to be hosting with Holly after Phil took a hiatus during the trial of his brother Timothy Schofield.
The brief This Morning collaboration was such a hit with viewers that executives are reportedly planning to pair them together more frequently.
One source spilled: ‘It was a super-clever idea to slot Alison in with Holly, and it worked so well.
‘It was a new dynamic for Holly who has starred with Phil almost every time she has appeared on This Morning for nearly 14 years.
‘The bosses are absolutely delighted with their decision to put them together and want to find ways to do it more often.’
They added to the Mail On Sunday at the time that while ‘nobody’s supposed to discuss Phil’s future’ on the programme, it has been hot topic ever since Holly and Alison hosted together.
The 48-year-old replaced Dermot, 50, on Monday’s episode of This Morning, when the two discussed Phil’s departure.
At the start of Monday’s episode, Alison said: ‘Now, we can’t start today’s show without paying tribute to the man who spent the last two decades sitting on the This Morning sofa, Phillip Schofield.’
Dermot continued: ‘So, as a show, everyone on and off screen at ITV, and This Morning, want to say a huge thank you to Phil for what he’s done to make this show such a success over the last 21 years.’
Alison hailed him as ‘one of the best’, adding: ‘Quite simply, we all know he’s one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had. And we and all the team wish him all the best for the future.’
Phil’s exit from the show occurred just a week after releasing a statement confessing to having a connection with a considerably younger guy who worked as a runner on This Morning.
Phil stated in a long statement to the Daily Mail that their connection was’more than a friendship’ and that it was ‘unwise but not unlawful’.
According to the statement he submitted to the publication, the connection took place when Phil was still married to his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe, the mother of his two kids, Ruby and Molly, and before he came out as homosexual.
He also admitted to lying about the connection to his supervisors and coworkers, which led to his 35-year agency dropping him.
Phil went on to add that he has’stepped aside’ from presenting the British Soap Awards, which are just a few days away, and that he has resigned from ITV with ‘immediate effect’.
Phillip Schofield’s statement in full:
The statement in full reads: ‘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. 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. 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.’
He continues: ‘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.
‘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.’
‘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,’ Phil said.
‘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.’
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
Source My Celebrity Life.