This Morning bosses view Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary as Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s successors
THIS Morning bosses see part-time presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond as successors to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
The duo have been a hit with viewers since they started hosting Friday editions in January.
They replaced Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, both 61, who were viewed as too “pale and stale” amid a diversity drive by ITV.
Dermot, 48, and Alison, 46, have just finished taking the reins of the show for a week while Holly and Phillip took a break.
An insider said: “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.
And the verdict was very favourable.
“They are very much viewed as a breath of fresh air and have had a largely positive response from viewers.”
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Philip turns 60 next year and has presented daytime favourite This Morning for two decades while 40-year-old Holly took on her role in 2009.
This year she and Alison were among the nominees in the TV Presenter category at the National Television Awards.
ITV declined to comment.
