[ad_1]
Dermot O’Leary has reportedly been lined up as a replacement for Phillip Schofield on This Morning, should the longtime host ever quit his role on the ITV show.
TV personality Dermot, 48, currently co-presents the daytime show with Alison Hammond on Fridays, with Phillip, 59, and co-host Holly Willoughby fronting This Morning during the remainder of the week, outside of holidays.
And The Mirror reports that Dermot has proved so popular with viewers that bosses of the show have factored him in as a “back up”, should Phillip decide to depart.
Plans: Dermot O’Leary, left, has reportedly been lined up to replace Phillip Schofield, right, should he ever quit his longtime presenting role on This Morning
States the publication: “While Phillip has a great relationship with his co-presenter Holly Willoughby, both on and off the screen, it is hoped that Dermot could also have that spark if he had to step in for Phillip.”
There has, so far, been no public suggestion that Phillip is planning to step away from This Morning, which he has hosted since 2002, with Holly joining him in 2009.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Dermot O’Leary and Phillip Schofield for comment.
Back in 2019, Phillip said that he would be happy to continue presenting This Morning, as long as he and Holly remained in good health.
Host: There has, so far, been no public suggestion that Phillip is planning to step away from This Morning, which he has hosted since 2002, with Holly Willoughby joining him in 2009
Speaking to Heat as he celebrated 10 years onscreen with Holly, Phillip said: ‘I’d be quite happy [to continue], so long as I’m in good health and Holly is too.’
‘It’s an evolving show,’ he added. ‘You never know what direction it’s going to take, you know none of us know what direction life is going to take.’
Meanwhile, Alison Hammond recently admitted it took two months before she and Dermot ‘became comfortable’ with each other on This Morning.
The pair revealed they had to have ‘private chats’ to iron out what they didn’t like about each other’s presenting styles.
New hosting role: Dermot currently co-hosts This Morning with Alison Hammond on Fridays
Former Big Brother star Alison, 46, believes their partnership on the magazine show works because they were ‘so honest with each other’ in the first few months and compared the collaboration to an ‘arranged marriage’.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly on her eponymous daytime show late last month alongside Alison, Dermot admitted they barely had any time to get used to each other’s nuances.
The pair have been co-presenting This Morning together every Friday since January after taking over from Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.
Alison said: ‘We literally were thrown together, like an arranged marriage. It took about two months before we became comfortable.’
Chats: Alison revealed last month that she and Dermot had private chats about their presenting styles in the first few months of presenting together on This Morning
Dermot added: ‘When you start a show and you start with someone they normally go, “Oh you need to meet so and so. This is the person we’re thinking about pairing you with.”
‘You go out for lunch or you have a meeting. But this was literally like, “You’re on air in half an hour.”
‘When you’re co-presenting, it takes a while to get to know those nuances and those little beats, “I’m going to talk now or you’re going to talk now.”
‘You find out about each other’s sense of humour, what you like about each other, what you don’t like about each other and those things take about two months.’
Alison, who has been presenting on This Morning for 18 years after rising to fame on Big Brother in 2002, said: ‘But we told each other what we don’t like, we were so honest with each other and I think that’s why it worked.
Ironing out: Speaking openly about adjusting to presenting together, Dermot admitted they barely had any time to get used to each other’s nuances
‘We had a few private chats, “I don’t like this about you,” and, “Well I don’t like this when you do such and such.”
‘All really tiny, small things, but the fact we were honest and able to talk to each other, I think that’s why it’s worked.’
However, Dermot insisted they always ‘liked each other’, and he can now talk to Alison as he speaks to his wife Dee Koppang.
He said: ‘It wasn’t like we didn’t like each other. Someone would go, “Oh, I didn’t know you were going to do that, that threw me.”
‘As soon as you have that honesty, I can talk to you now like I can talk to my wife. We have that really lovely relationship and we make each other laugh.’
Honesty: Former ‘Big Brother’ star Alison believes their partnership on the brunch-time show works because they were ‘so honest with each other’ in the first few months
Alison admitted one aspect of her presenting that Dermot ‘absolutely hated’ was some of the looks she pulls to the camera – but he now ‘loves’ them.
She said: ‘The things I didn’t like, now I love. His little quirks, I was like, “Oh my god.” Sometimes when I’d go like this [pulls face] to the camera, he absolutely hated that.
‘He was like, “Why are you doing that?” I was like, “That’s what I do, babes.”‘
Dermot added: ‘Hated it. Now I love it.’
During the interview, Alison also jokingly claimed: ‘I think I brought out Dermot, I’ll be honest with you. He was a bit dry before he met me.’
Opening up: Dermot was quick to insist they always ‘liked each other’ and he can now talk to Alison as he speaks to his wife Dee Koppang. Pictured with Lorraine Kelly
[ad_2]