He had big shoes to fill when he took over the coveted position vacated by his long-serving predecessor.
And now current This Morning presenter Cat Deeley will go head to head with Holly Willoughby, who quit in October after 14 years, at this year’s National Television Awards.
The couple will fight to be named Best TV Presenter, with both appearing on the longlist ahead of the ceremony in September.
The ultimate test of public popularity: viewers will now be able to vote for their favorite presenter, narrowing it down to a shortlist of top talent, to be revealed in August.
Deeley, 47, replaced Willoughby, 43, earlier this year after rigorous testing by show producers to find the perfect replacement, joining forces with Ben Shephard.
Current This Morning presenter Cat Deeley (pictured) will go head to head with Holly Willoughby, who quit in October after 14 years, at this year’s National Television Awards.
The couple will fight to be named Best TV Presenter, and will both appear on the longlist ahead of the ceremony in September (Holly Willoughby pictured).
The show was thrown into turmoil last year when Philip Schofield was forced to resign after it was revealed he had lied about having an affair with a younger colleague.
A few months later, Willoughby also left the show after an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her emerged, telling fans she had done it “for me and my family.”
Now he is preparing to return to the spotlight after signing a lucrative deal with Netflix to host the long-awaited new show, Bear Hunt with Bear Grylls.
Ms Deeley, best known to British viewers for presenting children’s television shows SM:TV and CD:UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has already proven popular since her debut in March.
The pair are joined on this year’s longlist by a host of TV stars, including colleagues Shephard and Alison Hammond. Other ITV talent including Ant and Dec, Lorraine Kelly and Kate Garraway also feature on the list.
They will also face Graham Norton, Claudia Winkleman, Tess Daly, Hannah Waddingham, Fiona Bruce and Amanda Holden.
Garraway, 57, whose husband Derek Draper died in January after a long battle with COVID-19, has been nominated in three categories; Television presenter, documentary written by Kate Garraway: Derek’s story and factual entertainment for Kate Garraway’s life stories.
In the author documentary category, couple Coleen and Wayne Rooney will also compete for the award.
Deeley, 47, replaced Willoughby, 43, earlier this year after rigorous testing by show producers to find the perfect replacement, joining forces with Ben Shephard.
Philip Schofield was forced to resign after it was revealed he had lied about having an affair with a younger colleague and Holly left a few months later.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have been nominated for Best Television Presenter
Ant and Dec are also among the nominees for the award
Ms Rooney is nominated for her Disney+ series about the ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial, while Rooney received a nod for his Prime Video film of the same name about her life and career.
Netflix’s hit show Baby Reindeer has been recognized in the Best New Drama category, with Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning nominated for their roles.
They will go up against actors David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa, both nominated for playing the Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who.