Josie Gibson is being tipped as the frontrunner to replace Holly Willoughby as the host of Dancing On Ice.
The This Morning star has just completed a successful stint in the jungle as the top female contestant in I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and now ITV could be lining her up for another of their flagship shows.
Dancing On Ice is usually presented by Holly and Phillip Schofield, but Phil cut ties with ITV after quitting This Morning in May when details of his affair with a much younger male colleague emerged.
Holly also left This Morning in October after learning of an alleged kidnap plot against her and has taken a break from TV since, but has not yet confirmed whether she will be back for Dancing On Ice in the new year.
The series is set to launch in January 2024 and with the hosts as yet unconfirmed, there has been speculation about who could step into the job – with Holly's former colleague Josie looking like a favourite.
According to The Sun, a source said: "Josie’s stint in the jungle shows she has the perfect blend of humility, confidence, humour and unflappability.
"And she’s already proved she’s able to handle live TV during her time as a co-host on This Morning where she’s also developed quite a following among viewers.
"ITV will be hoping she’ll bring that popularity across to Dancing On Ice, if she ends up bagging the job in Holly’s absence. ITV are still hoping Holly will sign up. But the situation remains up in the air and nervous producers are now counting down to the start in days rather than weeks."
The source added that there were a number of potential stand-ins – Rochelle Humes and Christine Lampard's names have previously been rumoured, too – but claimed that Josie "very much stands out".
Meanwhile, Deal Or No Deal host Stephen Mulhern is expected to take over from Phil, having previously covered for him on Dancing On Ice when the former presenter was off sick.
Talking about having hosted the show with Holly before, Stephen said: "I absolutely loved it with Holly. We had a great time. And the response on social media was amazing. We are talking about Dancing On Ice. But I promise you now nothing has been agreed.
"I’ve not said yes, and I haven’t said no. Would I do it? I think it’d be silly not to do it. But nothing has been fully agreed. It would be great to work with Holly again."
An ITV spokesperson commented on the hosting rumours, saying: "Further announcements regarding Dancing on Ice will be made in due course."
Source: Read Full Article
