Is this TV favourite set to REPLACE Phillip Schofield on This Morning? A look at the surprising names tipped to co-host with Holly Willoughby as embattled star ‘fights to keep his job’
- READ MORE: Holly Willoughby is considering her future after Phillip Schofield’s statement left her ‘upset’ and she fears there’s ‘no way back’
A host of celebrities have been tipped to take over from Phillip Schofield as the embattled star fights to keep his job on This Morning.
Amid reports of a feud with co-host Holly Willoughby, one ultra loyal ITV boss once willing to take ‘bullets’ for him is now said to be ‘fed up of clearing up his mess’.
Fans have also called for Phillip to quit his position, saying This Morning should overhaul their presenting lineup, after the positive fan response when Holly recently hosted the show with Alison Hammond.
Phillip has been dogged by scandal after his paedophile brother Timothy was convicted – with a cloud also hanging over Holly after they were both accused of jumping the queue to see the Queen lying in state last year.
Now MailOnline takes a look at the bookies’ favourites to take over if Phil decides to step down.
Who could be sitting next to Holly? A host of celebrities have been tipped to take over from Phillip Schofield as the embattled star fights to keep his job on This Morning
Fan favourite: According to BettingSites.co.uk, the frontrunner to take over from Phillip Schofield is Dermot O’Leary as the 4/5 odds-on favourite
Dermot O’Leary – 4/5
According to BettingSites.co.uk, the frontrunner to take over from Phillip Schofield is Dermot O’Leary as the 4/5 odds-on favourite.
Dermot, 49, is already a regular on the programme, taking over as a co-host of the Friday slot in January 2021 with Alison Hammond.
If offered the job, it’s likely Dermot would accept as he previously revealed he would love to host This Morning for another decade.
Speaking on the podcast Dish in December, he said: ‘It’s a nice thing. If someone said to me “you’re doing Fridays for the next 10 years”. I’d be over the moon. I love it.’
Rochelle Humes – 6/1
Rochelle Humes is the second favourite having appeared on the ITV show regularly since 2013.
She originally joined the show to co-host with her husband Marvin but has been working alongside different presenters since 2018.
Recently she was drafted in to save the day at the 11th hour when Holly came down with shingles just as Phillip returned to the show after a two-week absence.
With Holly forced to remain at home until her symptoms pass, Rochelle, 34, was on hand to welcome Phillip back to This Morning after his own lengthy hiatus
The presenter was back on the couch for the first time since pedophile brother Timothy, a former school teacher, was convicted of 11 sexual offences against a boy.
Could it be an all-girl team? Rochelle Humes is the second favourite having appeared on the ITV show regularly since 2013
Joel Dommett 8/1
Having stepped in to replace Phillip during his leave of absence, Joel Dommett has odds of 8/1 to take over.
Joel has been a regular on TV screens for years, from coming second in 2016’s I’m A Celebrity to his current role as host of The Masked Singer.
Fans praised his chemistry with Holly and ITV bosses organised a sweet surprise for the star when they arranged for his model girlfriend to surprise him on the show during a fashion segment.
Fresh new face? Having stepped in to replace Phillip during his leave of absence, Joel Dommett has odds of 8/1 to take over
Alison Hammond 10/1
Since 2021, Alison Hammond has co-hosted the Friday slot on This Morning and recently stepped in to cover Phillip during his absence.
ITV sources say that she and Holly were regarded as a ‘total joy’ at the channel, which also took note of social media feedback that confirmed the duo were popular with fans too.
One source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘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 see Alison as the future but who thought it would be alongside Holly? It works on Strictly [having two female hosts] so why not on This Morning? While nobody is supposed to discuss Phil and his future at This Morning, obviously since Holly and Alison hosted together, it has become a topic of discussion.’
TV star: Since 2021, Alison Hammond has co-hosted the Friday slot on This Morning and recently stepped in to cover Phillip during his absence
Phil Vickery 20/1
Phil Vickery, 61, has been a staple on This Morning for more than two decades as the resident chef, but bookies have tipped him to take on a bigger role.
Fern Britton’s ex-husband joined the morning show in 2006 and quickly became a regular asset.
Yet despite being a longstanding member of the team, Phil recently revealed that he wouldn’t ‘whinge’ if ITV decided to axe him.
Speaking to Kaye Adams on her How To Be 60 podcast in January, he confessed: ‘When This Morning stops for me, I’ll be gone. I’ll be gone completely.
‘I won’t be there whinging about, kicking about after 25 years. I’ll be like, “It’s just the way it is. That’s what happens in telly.”‘
Cooking up a storm: Phil Vickery, 61, has been a staple on This Morning for more than two decades as the resident chef, but bookies have tipped him to take on a bigger role
Ore Oduba 20/1
In 2016, Ore Oduba made his This Morning debut, causing quite the impression as he overcame his phobia of birds.
Four years later, the Strictly Come Dancing star was drafted in as a guest presenter amid calls for the ITV show to hire permanent non-white stars to present the show.
The Mail on Sunday previously revealed that the programme’s editor Martin Frizell said: ‘There is not a black presenter on any of the programmes today.
‘We plan to change that, we [This Morning] are looking into it.’
This Morning did not have a main black presenter since its launch until Alison joined the roster in 2021.
Familiar face: In 2016, Ore Oduba made his This Morning debut, causing quite the impression as he overcame his phobia of birds. Four years later he was drafted in as a guest presenter
Eamonn Holmes 50/1
A surprising addition to the list is Eamonn Holmes, co-hosted the daytime show from 2006 until August 2021, until being ‘dropped’ by ITV and replaced by Alison and Dermot.
Eamonn made no secret of the fact that he was upset about the decision and also ‘liked’ a number of other tweets slamming the show, with one reading: ‘Absolutely rubbish that show since Eamonn and Ruth left, I stopped watching it totally’.
The presenter also claimed he ‘wasn’t treated with respect’ during his time on the show.
Eamonn told The Guardian: ‘I joined GB News because options dried up. The “wrong age”, at the “wrong stage” – at some point it becomes very hard to get work.
‘It was obvious I didn’t tick the boxes for ITV any more and I wasn’t being treated with respect there.
Grudge? A surprising addition to the list is Eamonn Holmes, co-hosted the daytime show from 2006 until August 2021, until being ‘dropped’ by ITV and replaced by Alison and Dermot
Ruth Langsford 50/1
Eamonn’s wife Ruth Langsford has also been tipped at odds of 50/1.
While she was axed at the same time as her husband, she hasn’t spoken out in the same way as her husband, even returning to the show last year to co-present with Rylan Clark while Holly and Phil were on a summer break.
Unlike her husband, Ruth has also stayed loyal to the ITV channel, continuing to regularly present lunchtime show, Loose Women.
Comeback queen? Eamonn’s wife Ruth Langsford has also been tipped at odds of 50/1. While she was axed at the same time as her husband, she hasn’t spoken out in the same way
Josie Gibson 50/1
While Josie Gibson has long appeared as a regular guest presenter on the show, it wasn’t until 2021 that she was called up to co-host the programme.
The Big Brother star stood in for tummy bug-stricken Holly and delighted viewers so much that they called on bosses to make her a permanent co-host.
Speaking about the positive reaction to her debut, she mused: ‘Social media can be a very dark place. But yesterday I was showered with love. It’s really embarrassing, but I had a good cry for about half an hour!’
Phil asked Josie if she had cried tears of ‘relief’, and she admitted: ‘It was just so emotional. It was a really big thing to be sat here with you yesterday, and to have all those lovely messages.’
Show regular: While Josie Gibson has long appeared as a regular guest presenter on the show, it wasn’t until 2021 that she was called up to co-host the programme
Richard & Judy 100/1
Husband and wife duo Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan were the original presenters of the ITV mainstay from 1988 to 2001, and have returned for a few guest appearances in recent years.
The couple left the programme when they were poached by Channel 4 to front their own eponymous afternoon show, Richard & Judy.
Judy’s last television job was in October 2014 when she was introduced as a regular panellist for Loose Women.
However, on her first day, Judy was criticised for defending footballer Ched Evans, who was convicted of rape in 2012 before being acquitted in 2016 and she quit the show shortly afterwards.
Richard has remained in the spotlight as a regular presenter on Good Morning Britain.
Ultimate comeback? Husband and wife duo Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan were the original presenters of the ITV mainstay from 1988 to 2001
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