This Morning’s Ben Shepherd and Cat Deeley silenced by fan’s 11 word verdict of duo
A caller to This Morning’s phone in interrupted hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard to tell them what she thought of their onscreen pairing on Wednesday morning’s show.
During a segment on the ITV chat show called ‘Love Clinic’, where Married at First Sight star and dating expert Mel Schilling was taking calls about how to deal with love and relationship issues, a woman named Anna phoned in to explain she was looking for advice on how to get her husband to show more emotion.
However, before she explained her problem in detail, Anna interrupted Cat to give her verdict on how Cat and Ben are doing as presenters.
“Can I just say, really quickly before we start, that I think you and Ben are just doing an amazing job,” she said. Both hosts looked visibly moved by this, and Ben said: “Aw, thank you very much!”
Cat, meanwhile, said: “You certainly can! That’s lovely, thank you very much, thank you.”
And referring to Anna’s problem with her husband’s affection, Cat added: “I’ll give you a cuddle!”
This praise comes along with the news that Cat and Ben’s hosting has got off to a good start, with their presenting debut in March attracting one million viewers at its peak, and an average viewership of 806,000.
ITV are certainly pleased with their new presenters, with a spokesperson for ITV stating: “Ben and Cat have recorded the best audience reach of the year so far on This Morning with 4.5 million viewers across one week. Viewing figures for January to March 2024 are also up 5% compared to 2023.”
The duo took over the role of main hosts for This Morning on 11 March, following months of temporary replacements after previous hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield both left the show in 2023.
Since Cat and Ben joined This Morning, some fans have been critical of their appearances and have asked for much-loved Friday hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary to be given the Monday to Thursday presenting slot. Others have asked why fan favourite Josie Gibson wasn’t given the top job, although she continues to make regular appearances on the show and told OK! that she prefers being a roving reporter.
“It’s my dream gig and I do a bit of everything. I do a bit in the studio, I can go on the road, do a competition. I love being able to do everything so, between us, I think I’ve got the best gig,” she said.
