Susanna Reid breaks silence on Ben Shephard’s GMB exit saying This Morning has ‘nicked him’
Susanna said: “It was the cheesecake that did it. Ben Shephard has been lured over to the other side of the wall, we saw this on Friday morning at the beginning of This Morning.
They’ve nicked him. They’ve poached him.
“They are lucky to have him. He is pride of Good Morning Britain. He’s now going to become the pride of This Morning.”
She then brought out their special Ben blanket and gave it to co-host Ed Balls.
Dermot and Alison – who front This Morning’s Friday instalments – started the episode by cheering: “Ben and Cat welcome to the family!”
Alison added: “We are so so happy it is finally out.”
Dermot said: “The lovely thing is we know them well,” as he opened up on starting his telly career with Ben on T4.
The Sun revealed the news back in December.
A source said: “This is one of the most coveted gigs in UK television. ITV execs are determined to get it right.
“Cat really impressed when she came in, and Ben is a consummate professional and hugely popular with the housewife demographic.
“He’s an extremely safe pair of hands, has real gravitas, and doesn’t have a whiff of scandal around him — he’s purer than pure.
“Cat is the number one target to replace Holly, but negotiations are ongoing.
“Lots of people were considered, but ultimately it’s all about chemistry.
“Everyone is very excited, and the sense is that Ben and Cat will be a real boost to morale on the ground.”
Last week Ben broke his silence on his new This Morning gig – and revealed leaving his GMB ‘wife’ Kate Garraway was the ‘hardest decision’.
He said: “I’ve loved hosting Good Morning Britain over the past 10 years since it launched.
“When I left GMTV, I always swore I’d never go back because of the early mornings and it goes to show how wrong I was.”
He continued: “I’m grateful that my extended GMB family is only next door so that whenever I get nostalgic, I know I’m not going to being far away. Although I’ll miss being on screen with them, my later starts mean I may be able to hang out with them all a bit more!
“One of the hardest decisions of course is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of nearly 20 years, is coming to an end.
“Her journey has been well documented, and I think we would all agree how remarkable she has been over the last four years.
“I won’t miss the mess but I’ve learned so much from her, as I have from all of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside.”
It was also revealed that Ben “refused to sign the contract until he knew who he’d be working with”.
This Morning bosses also had set their sights on another TV presenter to sign up alongside Cat – but he said no.
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