Victoria Derbyshire has been tipped to replace Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain.
It was revealed last week that Piers had decided to leave the show after five years.
ITV said in a statement: “Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”
There’s been no official word yet on who will take Piers’ place on the panel but rumour has it that Victoria Derbyshire could be in line to takeover.
The journalist previously hosted the Victoria Derbyshire Show on the BBC between 2015 and 2020.
A source shared with The Sun newspaper: “ITV producers have been looking for the right platform for Victoria for a while. They think she is a real talent and one of the few opinionated TV journalists who could be a real powerhouse addition to GMB.
“She’s not afraid to challenge guests, ask tough questions, get straight to the point and wax lyrical about what she believes in.
“They’re using Piers’ exit as an opportunity to trial new faces.”
Piers announced his exit last week after a row over his comments about Meghan Markle and her interview with Oprah Winfrey.
He said (via the Daily Mail): “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree.
“I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go. I believe in freedom of speech, I believe in the right to be allowed to have an opinion.”
Piers added: “I think it’s fair to say, although the woke crowd will think that they’ve cancelled me, I think they will be rather disappointed when I re-emerge. I would call it a temporary hibernation.”
Piers’ decision to leave followed TV watchdog Ofcom announcing an investigation into Monday’s episode (8 March) of the show over comments made by Piers about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
In last Wednesday’s show following Piers’ exit, Susanna Reid said: “A number of people will know the news and many of you will not and will be surprised that Piers Morgan is not here this morning. Now Piers and I have disagreed on many things, and that dynamic was one of the things that viewers loved about the programme.
“He is, without doubt, an outspoken, challenging, opinionated, disruptive broadcaster. He has many critics and he has many fans. You all know that I disagreed with him about Meghan’s interview, he himself clarified his comments about her mental health on the show yesterday.
“There are many voices on GMB and everyone has their say. But now Piers has decided to leave the programme. Some of you may cheer and others will boo.
She continued: “He has been my presenting partner Monday to Wednesday for more than five years, and during Brexit and the pandemic and other issues, he has been a voice for many of you, and a voice that many of you have rallied against. It is certainly going to be very different. But shows go on, and so on we go.”
Watch Good Morning Britain weekdays on ITV from 6AM and catch up on ITV Hub
