Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley are taking a seven-week break from This Morning just four months after landing the job.
The new presenters joined the ITV daytime show on March 11 and are said to receive an annual salary of £555,000.
They will now be away for almost two months as part of the show’s annual summer break, which means a rotation of guest presenters will be required to run the show in their absence.
Friday favourites Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary will kick off the summer shows from Monday 15 July, before a mix of familiar faces return to the sofa.
Also featuring as hosts are Josie Gibson, Craig Doyle, Rylan Clark, Rochelle Humes and Joel Dommett, plus new mum Sian Welby, who is also returning to broadcasting since welcoming daughter Ruby last month.
Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley are taking a seven-week break from This Morning just four months after landing the job.
As they step away, a rotation of guest presenters will be brought in to front the show in their absence, with fans particularly excited for Craig Doyle, who will host alongside Josie Gibson.
Ben and Cat return to ITV’s flagship daytime show on September 2, with Alison and Dermot returning to present on Fridays on September 6.
This Morning editor Martin Frizell said of the summer line-up: “Viewers won’t want to miss a moment this summer!”
‘The shows will be packed and whatever the weather, the team in front of and behind the cameras will provide plenty of content to keep the nation smiling.
“I’m delighted that Alison and Dermot will be kicking things off and, together with our brilliant presenting family of the biggest names in television, they will deliver some truly exciting content on Britain’s biggest daytime show.”
However, viewers were left baffled when the early exit was announced on Thursday’s show.
In an interview with X, formerly on Twitter, they shared: ‘Ben and Cat joined #ThisMorning in April this year’; ‘September? It’s July 11th… IT’S ONLY July 11th! Part-timers basically get TWO months off work, what a joke!’; ‘Let’s see if they come back in September. Their viewing figures suggest they might not #thismorning’.
However, other viewers were delighted with the change and expressed their delight at seeing Irish presenter Craig back on their screens.
Ben and Cat’s summer vacation comes weeks after they took time off for Easter.
The duo enjoyed two weeks off the show in April, during which time Alison and Dermot fronted the show Monday to Friday for a fortnight.
Friday favourites Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary will kick off the summer shows from Monday 15 July, before a mix of familiar faces return to the sofa.
Dermot will also be performing a few shows with Rochelle Humes at his side.
New mother Sian Welby is also returning to broadcasting since welcoming daughter Ruby last month.
Ben and Cat were officially announced as the new presenters of This Morning in February after months of rumours.
Channel sources said they were “delighted” by the pair’s signing after “so many obstacles had to be overcome to get there”.
The Mail first revealed the duo were top of the list, but in December Cat turned down the role because she couldn’t devote time to the show.
However, after further negotiations and the offer of more money, she agreed. A source said: “Cat was the person they wanted all along and they finally got her. It’s incredible news for them.”
The reason for the sudden change of direction may have been financial, with Cat set to land a big payday as the new presenter.
When reports of her joining the show first emerged last year, it was claimed she and Ben would receive an annual salary of £555,000.
While it was a considerable salary, it still paled in comparison to that of former presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, who were said to be receiving £700,000 a year for their role.
Holly left the show last October “for the sake of her family” after discovering she was the target of a failed kidnapping and murder attempt and has not been permanently replaced since.
Her departure came five months after Phillip’s, when her romance with a young showrunner became public, followed by claims of an increasingly strained relationship with her co-host.
Viewers were left baffled when the early exit was announced on Thursday’s show.
However, other viewers were delighted with the change and expressed their delight at seeing Irish presenter Craig back on their screens.
Ben and Cat were officially announced as the new presenters of This Morning in February after months of rumours.
Phillip stepped back from the spotlight following his love scandal in May, which led to his departure from This Morning after more than 20 years on the show.
After much speculation about his private life, their romance finally became public and he admitted he was left “devastated and embarrassed” but insisted he was not a hairdresser.
He said the affair was “never considered” an abuse of power because he and his mistress were “partners”. He told The Sun: “I was unprofessional, once, in a 41-year career. There is no excuse. No one did anything wrong apart from me.”
In his first interview since leaving the broadcaster and This Morning, the 61-year-old presenter said: ‘I didn’t do it, I didn’t prepare it (for him).
“There are accusations of all kinds. It has never been said like that because we became friends. I don’t know anything about it. But of course I understand that there will be a massive trial, but I have never exerted such pressure.”
At the time, Phillip offered a series of apologies, including to his co-host of 14 years, Holly, and his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe.
This Morning airs Monday to Friday from 10am on ITV, ITVX, STV and STV Player
Holly Willoughby left the show last October after discovering she was the target of a foiled kidnap and murder attempt, five months after Phillip Schofield quit.
