Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley have confirmed that they are stepping down from This Morning for the summer. The duo were unveiled as replacements for long-serving hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on the ITV magazine show more than a year ago, and tend to front four episodes on a weekly basis. But during a handover from sister show Lorraine, Cat confirmed that they will be taking a break for the summer.
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Cat told Lorraine that it was to be their "last show this morning" before Ben confirmed that they will be having "all summer" off. But it was on with the show as usual as the titles rolled, and Cat teased viewers that there was "plenty to look forward to" over the coming two-and-half hours. The pair explained to fans that they are set to explore the secrets of anti-ageing, and that three TikTok witches would be on the sofa as well.
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Cat and former Good Morning Britain host Ben took the reins from Holly and Phillip last year. Phillip's departure came after revelations of his "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger colleague, while Holly left months later for personal reasons. At the time, several pairs of presenters were tested out before Cat and Ben got the gig.
The duo's announcement comes just days after This Morning bosses confirmed that the line up for the summer includes the likes of Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond - who have often provided cover for Ben and Cat on Fridays and in school holidays - as well as other relief presenters such as Joel Dommett, Emma Willis, Andi Peters, Craig Doyle, Rylan Clark, Sian Welby and Josie Gibson.
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The show's Instagram account posted: "This summer, get ready for the best staycation ever! Holiday from home as some of our favourite faces come together to entertain you. From sofa to sun lounger, brighten up your mornings with our all-star line up this summer on This Morning."
Sian expressed her excitement in the comments, saying "Can't wait," while Alison replied with "Yay". Love Island star Olivia Attwood has also joined the team for the summer, and recently told Closer: ""Everyone's been so welcoming." She added: "The whole team's been lovely, and I’m just excited to get stuck in and learn from people I really admire. When touching on who she'd love to present with the most, Olivia, who is also a regular panellist on Loose Women, said: "If I ever get to host with Alison, I'm so sure we'd just laugh for two hours straight. Probably three."
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This Morning's summer plans come just weeks after it emerged that Lorraine will be condensed to 30 minutes, airing from 9:30am to 10am for 30 weeks of the year on a seasonal basis.
In its place, Good Morning Britain will be extended to three and a half hours, and four hours when Lorraine is off the air, in what has been a host of changes in scheduling for the channel.
Loose Women will also be reduced to a 30-week schedule, similar to its pre-2016 format. These changes are set to take effect from January 2026.
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Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV's Media and Entertainment Division, stated: "Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres."
