Phillip Schofield looked happy and relaxed as he was seen out for the first time since his and former co-host Holly Willoughby‘s permanent replacements on This Morning were reportedly revealed.
Phillip, 61, and Holly, 42, both left the ITV daytime show last year and since there has been a rotating group of stars at the helm.
But now a new report suggests that Cat Deeley – who guest presented last November – and Good Morning Britain ‘s Ben Shephard will take over for the Monday to Thursday slot.
And during his outing in London on Sunday, Phillip was laughing and grinning wildly while out with a group of pals.
He cut a casual figure in a blue denim shirt and jeans, teamed with a matching navy blazer and Converse.
Phillip Schofield looked happy and relaxed as he was seen out for the first time since his and former co-host Holly Willoughby ‘s permanent replacements on This Morning were reportedly revealed
During his outing on Sunday, Phillip was laughing and grinning wildly while out with a group of pals
Phillip and Holly Willoughby, 61 and 42, both left the ITV daytime show last year and since there has been a rotating group of stars at the helm
Phillip has bowed out of the spotlight in recent months following an affair with a much younger man who worked with him on This Morning, which led to his departure from This Morning in May, after over 20 years on the show.
After much speculation about his private life, his affair finally went public and he admitted he had been left ‘broken and ashamed’ but insisted he was not a groomer.
He said the affair ‘never came across’ as an abuse of power because he and his lover were ‘mates’. He told The Sun: ‘I was unprofessional, one time, 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 presenter said: ‘I did not, I did not [groom him].
‘There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way because we’d become mates. I don’t know about that. But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that.’
At the time, Phillip offered a number of apologies, including to his co-presenter of 14 years Holly and his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe.
It comes after it was reported Cat and Ben’s launch pictures ahead of the official announcement will be shot later this month along with new promotions for the show.
A source told The Mirror: ‘The cat’s out of the bag – they are the new dream team. ITV is planning to announce Cat and Ben as their new star pairing in March.
‘Obviously Ben is well known and loved by the ITV daytime audience thanks to his many years on the breakfast sofa. Cat is also a very recognisable face, thanks to her long stint of working on kids’ TV, although she’s been over in the US for a long time.
‘People were very impressed with her guest presenting stint last year alongside Rylan and thankfully the timing has all come together. Everyone is delighted.’
It comes after it was reported late last year that Cat had ‘turned down’ the job offer.
He cut a casual figure in a blue denim shirt and jeans, teamed with a matching navy blazer and converse
He was out in Borough Markets with pals Scott Brown and Josh Sharman
Phillip bowed out of the spotlight in recent months since his affair scandal in May, which led to his departure from This Morning after over 20 years on the show
After much speculation about his private life, his affair finally went public and he admitted he had been left ‘broken and ashamed’ but insisted he was not a groomer, (pictured with his pal)
He said the affair ‘never came across’ as an abuse of power because he and his lover were ‘mates’. He told The Sun: ‘I was unprofessional, one time, in a 41-year career. There is no excuse. No one did anything wrong apart from me.’
At the time, Phillip offered a number of apologies, including to his co-presenter of 14 years Holly and his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe
Elsewhere, co-presenter Holly recently returned to hosting Dancing On Ice without Phillip
It’s possible the reason for the sudden U-turn is financial, with Cat set to nab a bumper payday as the new host.
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 hefty, the salary still paled in comparison to former hosts Holly and Phil, who were said to have been paid £700,000 annually for their role.
However, Cat isn’t short of cash as she currently earns at least £344,000 a season hosting So You Think You Can Dance in the States, where she is said to be paid £43,000 an episode.
The new series is set to air in March and Cat has been dividing her time between the States and the UK for filming.
Therefore it stands to reason that if Cat has changed her mind about appearing on This Morning her contract would either allow her to continue juggling her LA gig.
If she does decide to keep both jobs it won’t be for financial reasons, however, as brand and culture expert Nick Ede revealed she could double her This Morning salary with brand deals online.
Nick told MailOnline: ‘Cat is popular in the style stakes and I can see her making a lot of money partnering with brands like John Lewis and M&S who will be vying for her to wear their items.
‘She could earn over £200,000 from fashion collabs and she also has her own fragrance which I am sure will fly off the shelves.
‘I can also see her potentially collaborating with a brand like Charlotte Tilbury or L’Oréal and for these she could earn a cool £250,000.
‘Cat is the perfect presenter for This Morning. She has a big fanbase of people who grew up with her on a Saturday morning and she’s always been a safe pair of hands.
‘She has a great reputation for being lots of fun but she can also balance difficult discussion points too which is why she will make a winning pairing with Ben.
‘What’s also really great for a brand about Cat is that she has a big appeal in the USA as the host of the hit show So You Think You Dance so if they are looking to expand or create brand deals in the UK and US she’s the perfect person to do it.’
