This Morning fans were left in uproar as Alison Hammond finally explained her co-host Dermot O’Leary’s absence from the ITV programme.
On Friday (June 14), Dermot was replaced in the usual line-up by stand-in presenter Josie Gibson, leaving viewers baffled. He usually presents the show every Friday, but this time was nowhere to be seen.
Alison addressed the elephant in the room as she explained: “Dermot’s on holiday this week. He deserves the break!” She gave Josie a squeeze as the crew around them began to clap, before Alison was forced to put the programme on pause to order: “Okay, quieten down you lot!”
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Fans on X – formerly Twitter – had mixed reactions to the news, with one writing: “How does Dermot deserve a day off? He works one day a week!” as another fumed: “Dermot on holiday from his one day a week job.”
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Another social media user said: “If today’s newspaper reports are anything to go by, then Dermot’s not on holiday he’s at home talking to his agent desperately begging #thismorning not to reduce his contract to only rolling three months.”
It comes amid falling viewing figures for the programme, which plummeted in May 2024. A source told The Sun: “Nobody at This Morning thought viewing figures would dip beneath the landmark low of half a million.
“The arrival of Ben and Cat was supposed to spark a resurgence and hopefully keep the ratings above the million mark. But within a couple of weeks it became apparent they hadn’t done the trick while their nemesis Morning Live stayed strong.”
The insider added: “Now there is a massive question mark lingering over the future of the show as it’s difficult to justify the huge costs of making a live, daily show, especially at a time when ad revenues for linear TV are so low.”
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Fans were loving the addition of Josie to Friday’s show, however, with one writing: “I like Josie and Alison together.” As another added: “Just me who likes Josie and Alison then? K cool!”
The episode first covered weight loss jabs before moving onto the Euros coverage. Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar also turned up for a chat with the pair, as they consulted a psychic dog to predict the winner of the footie.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
