Amanda Holden has weighed in on reports that she could replace Cat Deeley on This Morning.
Deeley 57, and Ben Shepard, 49, joined the ITV daytime show in March following the departure of previous hosts Holly Willoughby, 43, and Phillip Schofield, 62.
They were met with a mixed reaction from viewers however which reportedly led to a drop in ratings.
A number of people had been in the frame to replace Willoughby at the time, including Holden - who filled in for her during her maternity leave and appeared on the show from 2014 to 2019.
Now, there is speculation that Holden could be brought in as a replacement for Deeley.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge addressed the talk on her Heart Radio Breakfast show on Thursday when asked about it by co-host Ashley Roberts.
“I saw this morning some rumours stirring about you replacing Cat Deeley on This Morning. What’s the tea?” the former Pussycat Doll singer asked.
“Oh, well, do you know what? I’m really glad you’ve asked me this. First of all, I absolutely love Cat Deeley,” Holden replied.
“She’s super successful, I’ve always admired her, she’s brilliant, and she’s a real laugh. I hate seeing headlines that say, ‘I’m taking over from Cat Deeley’ when I think she’s doing such a good job on This Morning.”
Making her feelings on the subject clear, she added that she believes Deeley is “going nowhere”.
Elaborating further, the mum-of-two said: “Complete rumours! I’m already on the biggest morning show in the country, and that is Heart Breakfast, thanks to our lovely listeners.
“So, I don’t know where it’s come from it is categorically not true.”
Drilling the message home loud and clear, Roberts reaffirmed what Holden said, declaring: “Not true, you heard it here!”
It’s an interesting development as Holden was previously reported to have blamed Schofield for her not landing the coveted role in the past.
Sources told The Sun in June 2019 that Schofield allegedly called Holden “difficult to manage” and “actively campaigned” for Rochelle Humes to fill the slot instead.
“Phillip actively campaigned for Rochelle Humes to get the job despite Amanda being more experienced - and having been told privately she’d got the gig,” a source told the publication.
“She feels Phil unfairly used his powers of persuasion. She was told he’d chosen Rochelle because she was easier to ‘manage’ on air - and understandably that incensed her.”
Holden reportedly took the issue to ITV chief Kevin Lygo at the time.
Later that month, she was asked on her Heart FM show what three things she wouldn’t like to find in her home and she replied: “Spiders, flies, and Phillip Schofield.”
A friend of Schofield’s later denied that he had campaigned to stop Holden from getting the job. “It was all part of a hideous communication mix up and not what has been painted out to be,” the friend told The Mirror.
