Ben Shephard from has spilled the beans on how he first met his new This Morning co-host Cat Deeley.
The TV stars are all set to take over the ITV daytime show next week, stepping into the shoes of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield who both departed last year. Schofield left the broadcaster completely in May after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair, with his former best pal bidding farewell to the programme five months later in the wake of a folied plot to kidnap and murder her.
In that months that followed viewers saw lots of different famous faces fill in, including Craig Doyle, Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary, Rochelle Humes, Josie Gibson, and Rylan Clark. Now, ITV bosses have finally filled the void, believeing Ben and Cat are the right ingredients to take the show forward.
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Ben, 49 years old, recently opened about his big move after saying goodbye to Good Morning Britain and his co-star mates Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway.
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After starting out on GMTV, the star almost gave up his role when it revamped to become Good Morning Britain in 2014. “I’ve loved hosting GMB over the past 10 years,” he told OK! “When I left GMTV, I swore I’d never go back because of the early mornings and it goes to show how wrong I was.”
Now, as reported by the Mirror, Ben has discussed his memorable first encounter with former CD:UK star Cat – at ITV’s Soccer Aid where she was presenting and he was playing against her hubby, Patrick Kielty.
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Cat, 47, initially recalled: to OK!: “It was a charity game with professionals and celebrities. Ben was fairly nifty and athletic… I, however, was just trying to stay upright. Strangely, there was no call from Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson ].”
Ben added: “We’ve never been lucky enough to work together before. I’ve taken a lot of penalties against her husband though and he’s yet to save one.”
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“I’m a huge fan of Cat, she’s just a brilliant broadcaster. I loved waking up to her [on SM:TV Live] so the chance to work together is really fun,” he said, full of excitement.
Just days away now, they’re both buzzing to start their new gig, with Cat saying she’s eager to present with the “true gentleman” that is Ben. “No one handles live TV better he makes it look effortless,” she gushed.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
