Alison Hammond is ‘top of the pile to replace Holly Willoughby on This Morning with ITV bosses – if the host ever steps down’
Alison Hammond is reportedly the best choice to take over for Holly Willoughby on This Morning, if she ever stepped down.
The bubbly presenter, 48, already hosts the daytime TV show on Friday alongside Dermot O’Leary, but would be on his way to a promotion when Holly, 42, disembarks.
While the bosses seem keen to keep longtime host Holly in charge, there’s a back-up plan for every circumstance.
According to The mirrorbosses have been discussing who to hire if they lost Holly, describing Alison as an “asset” to the channel.
A source told the publication: ‘ITV bosses are clear they want Holly to return to This Morning next year. But while a question mark hangs over her future, there have been talks about who might step in if she decides to go.”
Change? Alison Hammond (left) has reportedly been placed at the top of the pile to replace Holly Willoughby (right) on This Morning with ITV bosses – if the host ever steps down
“At the top of that list is Alison. She has gone from being seen as a safe pair of hands to a true asset to the channel,” they explained.
The source continued that the channel is also looking at pairings for Alison other than Dermot, including with another show favorite – Josie Gibson.
The insider added that numerous replacements would be tried out if Holly ever left, comparing the case to when Piers Morgan left Good Morning Britain and a a large number of combination hosting duos were tried.
MailOnline has contacted an ITV spokesperson to comment.
It was reported earlier this month that bosses feared Holly would leave the show after the presenter thought the ‘Queuegate’ comment had been ‘mishandled’.
The TV personality and her co-presenter Philip Schofield came under fire last year when they were accused of having ‘VIP access’ to file ‘past the Queen in state’, causing them to skip the line, an allegation the star and ITV have both denied.
According to a new report, Holly was “devastated” by the public reception and the broadcaster’s “decision to remain silent.”
The broadcaster would work on a ‘bumper package’ for the presenter to keep her with the channel.
On screen: The sparkling presenter presents all of the daytime TV show on Fridays alongside Dermot O’Leary, but could be on his way to a promotion if Holly ever disembarks
Top dogs: According to The Mirror, bosses have been in talks about who to hire if they lost Holly, describing Alison as an ‘asset’ to the channel
Popular: Meanwhile, Alison has been a huge hit on the show since co-presenting with Dermot on a Friday – she won an army of fans over the past year
While a spokesperson recently confirmed she had “no plans” to leave the show.
Meanwhile, Alison has been a huge hit on the show since co-presenting with Dermot on a Friday – she’s gained an army of fans over the past year.
It was quite a rebellion from the presenter, who first rose to fame with an appearance on Big Brother in 2002.
She also starred in more reality TV, appearing in I’m A Celebrity in 2010 and Celebrity Masterchef in 2014 and Celebrity Fit Club, just to name a few.
Alison was even nominated for the Best Presenter Gong at the National Television Awards, losing out to long-standing winners Ant and Dec.
