November 7th 2024.
Next up on the schedule, Ben Shephard has made a surprising announcement that he will be taking a break from his hosting duties on This Morning. However, he is keeping tight-lipped about what he has planned during his time off.
As many of you know, Ben co-hosts the popular ITV show with Cat Deeley, who joined him after Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby stepped down. Usually, the duo presents together from Monday to Thursday, but they take breaks during school holidays. This time, Ben has revealed that he will not be appearing on screens next week.
At the end of Thursday's show, he shared with viewers, "I'm taking a couple of weeks away to work on this exciting new project for ITV." Of course, Cat was curious and asked for more details, to which Ben replied with a mischievous grin, "It's top secret!"
The 49-year-old also mentioned that he will be flying to the other side of the world immediately after the show, but he couldn't give any hints about what he'll be doing there. When Cat jokingly asked if he'll be eating "witchetty grubs" on the infamous I'm A Celebrity bushtucker trials, Ben played along, saying, "I can neither confirm nor deny where in the world I'm going."
Cat then asked if he'll be meeting her "two mates," Ant and Dec, to which Ben cheekily repeated that he couldn't confirm or deny anything.
While Ben is away, Cat will be holding down the fort on This Morning by herself for a few weeks. But don't worry, Ben promised to share all the juicy details on Monday's show, "live from where I am in the world."
As for what project Ben will be working on, he hasn't spilled the beans yet. However, there have been reports that many celebrities are heading Down Under for the upcoming season of I'm A Celebrity, which starts in just over a week. Could Ben be one of them? We'll just have to wait and see.
Ben and Cat were brought in to host This Morning after Phillip and Holly's sudden departure. However, the new presenting duo has not been able to capture the attention of viewers, with the show's ratings dropping significantly in their first few months.
This "big slump" in viewership has led to speculations that ITV staff may be facing shorter contracts, pay freezes, and even job cuts. Rumors have even circulated that popular hosts like Susanna Reid and Lorraine Kelly have been warned about potential changes at the network.
A source shared with The Sun earlier this year, "ITV is really tightening their belt. There have been concerns at the top for months, but now it's trickled down to the shop floor and it feels very disheartening."
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.
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