New This Morning pairing 'confirmed' as ITV bosses want ratings boost
ITV's This Morning will see a presenter shake up this summer as presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard are set to be replaced.
This Morning: Alison and Dermot open the show
This Morning is soon set to have a presenter shake-up to "save ratings" as two of the hosts have landed jobs with rival broadcasters. Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary will reportedly remain on This Morning as the show's main hosts this summer, stepping in to fill the full-time roles of Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard.
The ITV breakfast show is said to have dropped in ratings since Cat and Ben took over the main roles back in March. They began working together after previous hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby stepped down from the show.
It was rumoured that Craig Doyle and Josie Gibson would possibly be stepping into the roles over summer, but a source has now confirmed that it will be Alison and Dermot. It was reported that a source told the press: "Viewers love Alison and Dermot so locking them in for the summer was a priority.
"Josie and Craig are great but execs couldn’t risk losing their best names when a spotlight's on the show." They added: "It's hoped a decent summer run from Ali and Dermot could get things off to a head-start when Cat and Ben return in September."
Viewing figures for the morning show are reported to have halved to as low as 486,000 since Cat and Ben's arrival. That is the fewest since Holly Willoughby's last day on the show back on October 10.
However, last Friday's show - which was hosted by Alison and Dermot - reached 620,000 viewers.
It comes as Alison has booked for her own show on BBC, Alison Hammond's Big Weekend. She is also said to be working on Florida Unpacked - a travel show with her son Aiden, 19.
Meanwhile, Dermot was recently announced as the host for a new gameshow for UKTV's Dave.
The 51-year-old TV host is set to front the series, called Silence is Golden, alongside comedian Katherine Ryan, 41. It will show comedians and other entertainers trying to provoke the audience into making a noise and losing £250,000.
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If the entertainers get the pot to zero, they get to give the money to charity. So far, six hour-long episodes of the show have been ordered to air in 2025.
Speaking of taking on the new role, Dermot, who presented X Factor on ITV between 2007 and 2018, said: "I'm so looking forward to Silence Is Golden. When a show like this falls into your lap, you can't quite believe your luck.
"Looking forward to having lots of fun with the audience, our comedians and assorted cast of regulars, all trying to make the audience laugh, gasp and giggle."
