ITV star ‘torn’ between balancing Holly Willoughby and Susanna Reid shows

30 September 2023 , 11:06

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ITV star ‘torn’ between balancing Holly Willoughby and Susanna Reid shows

Ben Shephard is seriously ‘torn’ between Good Morning Britain and This Morning with Susanna Reid desperate for him to say, it has been claimed.

He is balancing presenting duties between Holly Willoughby and Susanna's shows and isn't sure which one of the flagship ITV programmes he wants to potentially pick up permanently. Ben has been drafted in to co-host This Morning as bosses battle to revive the struggling daytime TV show.

The 47-year-old - who has been co-hosting GMB since 2014 - is said to be in the running to replace Phil Schofield full-time but is not sure if he wants to make the switch, a source close to the channel has claimed. Now he has a big decision to make.

Ben Shephard and Holly Willoughby have been on the This Morning sofa together (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Ben is said to be ‘in two minds’ about scandal-hit This Morning, which is still fighting to restore its reputation after Phil's exit when the former TV star admitted to having an 'unwise but not illegal affair with a much younger male colleague. The 61-year-old presenter sensationally quit back in May amid growing reports of tension between him and co-star Holly.

This Morning has pressed on with presenters including Josie Gibson, Alison Hammond, Andi Peters, and with Ben also stepping up, bosses are said to be very keen on him doing it permanently. But they face a fight to convince him, according to one insider.

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But will Susanna Reid get her way and get him to stay on Good Morning Britain? (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

"Ben loves doing both shows, but Susanna Reid really wants him to stay on Good Morning Britain," a source told Metro.co.uk. "Although they are on the same channel, they’re sort of rivals and both need ratings, and Ben is great at bringing in viewers.

"This Morning has had mixed ratings since Phil left, and not everyone sees Holly in the way they once did, so she needs a good partner next to her who’ll bring in ratings." Ben would be sure of a bumper pay rise and some extra hours in bed if he did decide to switch.

Figures have revealed that This Morning could be in trouble as the post-summer return counted almost 200,000 less viewers when the series returned to normal programming after Holly's summer break. While Holly has returned to the show, a permanent co-host has not been selected by ITV to try to bring stability to the format.

Bosses have favoured a revolving roster of presenters that includes Holly, Alison, Dermot, Craig, 38-year-old Josie Gibson and seemingly now also Ben. Some viewers have expressed concern about the constantly changing - and expanding - line-up of co-hosts.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, after Alison and Dermot announced Ben's appointment, one viewer remarked: "The constant changes with Holly's co hosts each week doesn't look good for a show that's recently been labelled toxic #thismorning."

Sam Elliott-Gibbs