ITV This Morning's Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley 'thrilled' to kick off new stint as Ant and Dec send warning

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley have said they are “thrilled” to kick off their first show as the new permanent presenters of This Morning.

The duo have taken over from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, who co-hosted ITV1’s flagship morning programme together for 14 years before they both left in 2023.Opening the show, Cat said: “Hello it’s Monday March 11, welcome to a brand new week.” Deeley added: “We are so excited to be here… This show has been a huge part of our lives for so long so to be actually standing her with you, it’s good.”Ben agreed, saying: “It is very special, we are thrilled to be here” and thanked those who have sent them messages of support.Among those was presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, who worked alongside Cat on SMTV Live early on in their career.

As the pair appeared to send their best wishes to the new hosting duo in a prerecorded interview, the Geordie jokesters had a word of warning for Ben.Ant said: "We worked with Cat, she might be sweetness and light, but that girl can party." While Dec quipped: "Keep a lock on the drinks cabinet."And in an emotional moment, sports broadcaster Chris Kamara, 65, appeared to send his own warning to Cat about his good pal Ben, who he worked with for more than 10 years on several projects including Ninja Warrior UK, Goals on Sunday, and their Proper Football podcast.Chris joked his friend was like a "bear with a sore head sometimes" and "just miserable" the rest of the time as he went on to add: "Only kidding, he was one of the best things to happen to me and I'm sure you will see that and vice versa.

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