Ben Shephard 'refused to sign This Morning contract until he knew who co-host was'
ok.co.ukBen Shephard reportedly "refused to sign" his This Morning contract until "he knew who he'd be working with." The Good Morning Britain star was announced as one of the new permanent hosts of the ITV show last week, alongside So You Think You Can Dance's Cat Deeley.
However, it's been claimed that 49 year old Ben "held off" from announcing his latest career move until Cat fully committed to the role.
After months of speculation about who will replace Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after their shock departures last year, both Ben and Cat have now officially accepted the lucrative role, and will be starting on the iconic ITV programme full time from March.
It was reported that due to Cat's commitments in the US, the relaunch of This Morning had to be pushed back. An insider said that she needed to fulfil her contract in the states and "wanted to make sure she was doing the right thing by them." Ben and Cat will present the show from Mondays to Thursdays, while Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary will continue to host on Friday mornings.
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