August 20th 2024.
Today on Good Morning Britain, there was a slight change in the lineup as presenter Richard Madeley had to pull out at the last minute due to illness. Luckily, fellow presenter Sean Fletcher stepped in to take his place. As the show began, Kate Garraway explained that Richard had called in sick this morning, leaving Sean to jump in and save the day.
Sean shared that when he first woke up, he checked the schedule and thought it was a mistake that he was on today's show. "But suddenly I realized I had seven missed calls," he said. "And that's when I knew something was up. But I'm happy to be here and help out."
Kate continued with the announcement, saying, "Good morning, and if you were expecting to see Richard Madeley here - well, he was expecting to be here too - but unfortunately, he's feeling a bit under the weather. So we're lucky to have Sean here with us today. When did you find out, Sean?"
Sean replied that he found out in the morning when he logged into the running order at home. "I saw my initial by all the stories, which is what usually happens, and I thought it was a mistake or a typo," he explained. "But then I checked the 7am running order, and my initial was over everything. That's when I realized something was going on."
Kate added, "Well, we're happy to have you here with us, Sean." To which Sean jokingly replied, "I feel like I've come off the news bench and onto the pitch. I'm always ready to step up to the cause."
As they wrapped up their introduction, Kate mentioned that they all wished Richard a speedy recovery. Sean then stepped into Richard's shoes and joined Kate on the show, which has aired over 2,500 episodes since its launch in 2014. Earlier this year, the show celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Richard, who joined the show in 2017, shared his most memorable moment on the show, which was when he terminated a live TV interview with then-defense secretary Gavin Williamson. "Probably the morning I turfed a Cabinet minister off the program for repeatedly refusing to answer a straight question," he said. "They all do it, but this was a particularly outrageous example."
He went on to explain, "The then-defense secretary Gavin Williamson just kept blatantly dodging a really simple query. What really annoyed me was the disrespect being shown, not to me, but to the viewers. We ask questions on their behalf, not ours. I suddenly heard myself say, 'OK, interview terminated because you won't answer the question.' I'm not sure who was more shocked, him or me."
In May 2018, Richard had asked Williamson if he regretted telling Russia to "go away and shut up" after Moscow denied responsibility for the Salisbury poison attack. Instead of answering the question, Williamson talked about the healthcare workers who treated the victims and the circumstances of the attack. After going back and forth, Richard eventually ended the interview, saying, "Right, you're not going to answer, are you? OK. All right, interview terminated because you won't answer the question. It would be helpful if you answered a straight question with a straight answer."
Good Morning Britain airs on ITV every weekday at 6am. And if you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, don't hesitate to reach out to the entertainment team at The Agency. They can be contacted via email, phone, or by visiting their Submit Stuff page. They are always on the lookout for interesting stories and would love to hear from you.
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