This Morning bosses have reportedly begged Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard to take over as Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s permanent replacements on This Morning.
Holly, 42, and Phillip, 61, both left the ITV daytime show last year and since there has been a rotating group of stars at the helm.
Cat, 47, impressed viewers with her presenting skills when she appeared on the show in November and was said to have left bosses devastated when she then turned down the main gig.
However, new reports claim that producers went back to the drawing board to try and woo the former children’s TV star and are set to announce as her the new Monday to Thursday host alongside Ben Shephard.
It’s possible the reason for the sudden U-turn is financial, with Cat set to nab a bumper payday as the new host.
As This Morning bosses ‘pursue Cat Deeley for a permanent hosting role’ could the chance to DOUBLE her already lucrative earnings be too tempting to turn down? (pictured on the show in November)
Producers reportedly went back to the drawing board to try and woo the former children’s TV star and are set to announce as her the new host alongside Ben Shephard (pictured on the show in September)
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.’
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
It’s claimed Cat and Ben will receive an annual salary of £555,000 which pales in comparison toPhillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who were said to have been paid £700,000
Cat and Ben’s decision to join the show was reported by The Mirror on Thursday, with a source saying: ‘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.
Cat, Ben and ITV have been contacted by MailOnline for further comment.
Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond look set to continue as the show’s regular Friday and school holiday presenters.
It comes after Holly left the show last October ‘for the sake of her family’ after discovering she was the target of a foiled kidnap and murder plot and has since not been replaced permanently.
It came five months after Phillip Schofield’s departure after his affair with a young male showrunner was made public, followed by claims of an increasingly strained relationship with his co-host.
Cat – who is married to fellow presenter Patrick Kielty – began her career as a co-presenter for the ITV children’s show SMTV Live, for which she won a BAFTA Children’s Award, and its spin-off chart show CD:UK.
It has been reported that their launch pictures ahead of the official announcement will be shot later this month along with new promotions for the show (Cat with Craig Doyle guest presenting on Nov 15, 2023)
Ben, 49, joined GMB in 2014 and has been with them ever since and is one of their most loved stars (seen with Charlotte Hawkins on the show)
Cat began her career as a co-presenter for the ITV children’s show SMTV Live, for which she won a BAFTA Children’s Award, and its spin-off chart show CD:UK (seen in 2000 with Ant and Dec)
Meanwhile Ben, 49, joined GMB in 2014 and has been with them ever since and is one of their most loved stars.
It comes after earlier this week it was claimed that This Morning staff are ‘livid’ that a regular presenting team has not been put in place yet since Holly and Phillip’s departure from the show last year.
Alison and Dermot, and Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle have stepped in to front the show for now, while Sian Welby and Rochelle Humes have also appeared.
READ MORE: How Cat Deeley – who rose to fame with Ant and Dec before hitting the big time in America – is being touted to replace Holly Willoughby
It was previously claimed Alison was a front-runner for the regular spot but she declined to focus on other projects and is said to be backing Josie for the job.
It comes after Sian Welby impressed viewers as she took the helm with Dermot last week.
A source told the Mail: ‘Sian has done a fantastic job and everyone totally loves her.
‘She is a massive breath of fresh air, she has come along and just wowed everyone. She has been a joy to watch for the viewers but also editor Martin Frizell and other executives on the show and they think she has the ability to grow and grow on the show and become the next Holly.
‘It mustn’t be forgotten that Holly was like her once and look what happened to her, she was the host for 14 years.
‘Martin and Emma are both agreed that she has got what it takes to be a star, it is really exciting and she is very much in a pole position for the job now.
‘Sian is seen to be by far better than some of the presenters who have hosted the show in recent months.’
Meanwhile, Holly is reportedly being eyed-up for presenting roles in the US after making her way back on to UK screens.
The TV host returned to the airwaves this month on Dancing On Ice.
It is now claimed she could head over to America for work, with the star hopeful it will also boost her lifestyle brand.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Holly’s a free agent and for the first time in years she’s free to be courted by these huge streaming platforms.
‘A number of US networks and production companies have been interested in her for a while and she’s caught the attention of some major brands.
Alison and Dermot, and Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle have stepped in to front the show for now, while Sian Welby, Rylan Clark and Rochelle Humes have also appeared (Josie and Rylan seen)
It comes after Sian Welby impressed viewers as she took the helm with Dermot last week from Monday to Thursday
‘She has true star pulling power and as well as being glamorous she is a polished professional in front of the camera. It’s an exciting time in her career.’
It is claimed Holly is hoping to use any boost of exposure in the United States to push her lifestyle brand Wylde Moon, which has been compared to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.
The source added: ‘Holly has made it no secret that she is following the Gwyneth Paltrow brand model. Launching herself Stateside could make those dreams a reality.’
MailOnline contacted a representative for Holly for comment.
