Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary have been tipped to succeed Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield as hosts of This Morning.
Alison and Dermot have been hosting Friday shows since January and recently took charge of the show all week for half-term.
Now sources have claimed that the duo are seen as potential successors to current regular hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
Phillip started hosting the ITV morning show in 2002 while Holly joined the sofa alongside him in 2009.
An insider told The Sun newspaper: “There are no firm plans to replace the hosts but producers always keep an eye on potential heirs.
“Alison and Dermot will have been scrutinised during their week-long stint to see how This Morning would look if they took over full-time.”
They added: “They are very much viewed as a breath of fresh air and have had a largely positive response from viewers.”
Speaking recently about hosting the show with Dermot, Alison shared: “The last time we did it, I really enjoyed the intenseness of it and seeing him every single day [laughs].”
Dermot agreed: “Intenseness is the perfect word to describe it, but it’s a pleasant intenseness. I like coming in every day for a week and getting into the groove and swing of it – and of course, seeing Alison every day.”
He continued to speak about their previous times hosting together: “Getting to know her and getting to trust her – our friendship is definitely the highlight, it’s lovely how it’s been nurtured over time. I’ve found a sister and a friend, which is nice. Something has really clicked in the last four months.
“Our highlights are also things like, ‘That worked well last week.’ I also like it when we’re talking about stuff that’s happening and you feel like you’re tapping in on the conversation with the country.”
Alison added: I also love the half an hour after the show where we can eat the food. It’s like being in a restaurant with him. After the show, the lights go out and no-one takes any notice of us and we’re there in our own little world!”
This Morning airs on ITV and ITV weekdays from 10:30AM.
