Ben Shephard on Cat Deeley friendship – 'unbelievable' way they met and connection with famous husband
ok.co.ukThis Morning is ready for a refresh on ITV, with the show welcoming two new faces onto the sofa – Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.The pair are replacing Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after months of hosting hearsay, and it’s an exciting gig to get – although Ben admits he’s most excited to leave the Good Morning Britain wake-up calls behind. “Not having to get up so early and to be able to have a lie-in is quite high up there with what I’m looking forward to,” laughs Ben, 49. “ This Morning is my dream combination of a lie-in, eating cheesecakes and working with a fantastic team.” The ITV journalist, whose daytime career began with GMTV in 2000, loves his sleep so much he nearly refused to return to the show when it was reinvented as Good Morning Britain in 2014. “I’ve loved hosting GMB over the past 10 years.
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.” But he’s gutted to be leaving his “on-screen wife of nearly 20 years”, Kate Garraway.
He says abandoning his GMB co-star, who recently lost her husband Derek Draper, made joining This Morning the “hardest decision”. “Her journey has been well documented and I think we would all agree how remarkable she has been over the last four years,” he says. “I’ve learned so much from her, as I have from all of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside.
I’m grateful that my extended GMB family is only next door so whenever I get nostalgic, I know I’m not going to be far away.” He’ll now be pairing up with Cat, who’s leaving her career in America to helm “national institution” This Morning alongside him.
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