Craig Doyle is’so appreciative’ for his This Morning job and is expected to take over as Phillip Schofield‘s full-time replacement.
After Schofield, 61, quit the programme and subsequently revealed he misled to bosses, colleagues, family, and friends about his romance with a runner, the Irishman is one of the bookies’ favourites to take over as Holly Willoughby‘s permanent new co-host.
It’s reported he and Dermot O’Leary are competing for the new post, with Alison Hammond, Josie Gibson, and Rochelle Humes all in the running.
Since 2021, the 52-year-old actor has served as a frequent stand-in for other This Morning hosts.
He could find himself appearing as the new full time host alongside Holly, and he told the Sunday Times: ‘Given that I’m on my second or third lap of this industry, to get an opportunity like this is fantastic.’
He added: ‘I love doing the This Morning show. It’s great fun and I feel so grateful at this stage in my career to get an opportunity to do a show this size.’
Craig, who began his career in television in 1995 and had his own show Tonight With Craig Doel on RTE1 in 2010, currently hosts BT Sport’s rugby union coverage after previously working on its MotoGP broadcasts.
He’s a major lover of his work on This Morning, saying that the show as a whole ‘provides company’ and functions almost as a ‘friend to a lot of people’.
Craig also loves the variety of the show, adding: ‘For example, just two weeks ago, I did a 20-minute interview with the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and then after, I was discussing a pavlova.
‘It’s like being in the supermarket and one minute you’re talking about your kids and the next, you’re in work, discussing financial projections for the year or you go to the gym and talk about fitness. The show encapsulates life in that sense.’
Meanwhile, Jane McDonald, 60, is said to be the replacement for Schofield on Dancing On Ice after he stepped away from his ITV responsibilities.
She filled in for him at the British Soap Awards earlier this month, and her performance is said to have pleased her supervisors.
On the Dancing On Ice reports, a spokesperson for ITV has said: ‘This is pure speculation, and we will not be confirming our talent for the 2024 series until later in the year.’
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.
Source My Celebrity Life.
