Helen Skelton: BBCs Secret Weapon Against ITV

As it battled its biggest crisis in nearly four decades, bosses thought they’d finally found the perfect replacement for on the beleaguered This Morning sofa.

Producers had their sights set firmly on presenter , whose wholesome, family-friendly image fit well with the long-running daytime show’s brand.

It was 2023 and Holly had officially left after 14 years on the daytime programme, months after stood down over an affair with a younger colleague.

At the time, ITV were searching for their next Holly and Phil and Martin Frizell, then editor of This Morning, was tasked with finding their replacements before he left the show.

Ms Skelton, 42, was a name put forward for the job by staffers – she was seen as family-orientated, but more importantly, a ‘safe’ pair of hands after a rocky year for the programme.

It could have been a big coup: Skelton was a guest presenter on the ’s breakfast broadcast, Morning Live, which consistently rates higher than ITV’s ailing version.

Instead, the corporation’s Morning Live executive editor, Emma Morris – who previously worked on the ITV show under Frizell – swooped in and secured Ms Skelton as a permanent star on the early BBC show.

The Daily Mail can now reveal that staffers on This Morning were said to have been left ‘baffled’ at Ms Skelton’s choice to stay at the corporation but she remains, to this day, loyal to the BBC.

In exchange for her continuing steadfastness, I’m told that BBC chiefs even handed her another series of her solo daytime series, Lost and Found in the Lakes, which performs well at 2pm and aired earlier this year.

‘Helen is really liked by BBC bosses across the organisation, the portfolio of shows she is a part of is very diverse and she works with a variety of producers,’ a well-placed source told me.

‘They never have a bad word to say about her and neither do her on-air colleagues, she is great fun to be around.

‘She is equally as adored by the viewers at home. She has just been handed another series of her daytime show which is a great vote of confidence in her.’

The show, which first launched last year, reunites members of the public with treasured possessions they have lost.

Ms Skelton first graced our screens in 1999, when she landed a brief role in Coronation Street. She was an extra and had no official character or storyline.

But she soon became a household name when she was made a permanent host of Blue Peter in 2008. After five years, she made the decision to move away from children’s television in 2013 and the following year she became a host of Countryfile, which she still presents to this day.

‘Helen has long told her pals how she would like to start hosting more of her own programmes,’ my source explained.

‘It’s not to say she doesn’t like co-presenting, but she knows her worth and is more than capable of being at the helm by herself.

‘She has more than earned her stripes and is viewed as the BBC’s weapon for ITV.’

Indeed, I’m told those at the channel are still disappointed they could not lure her over – with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley now fronting the show.

‘[ITV] execs are still kicking themselves about it, she is regularly mentioned and it is only a matter of time before they try and offer her a place in the fold,’ the insider added.