This Morning guest host Craig Doyle has spoken out about his role on the show, amid rumours he could be chosen to host the programme full time.
The Irish presenter, 52, has emerged as one of the frontrunners in the race to bag the job that used to belong to former main host, Phillip Schofield.
ITV chiefs are currently searching for a permanent replacement co-host to sit on the sofa alongside Holly Willoughby.
Speaking to The Times, Craig opened up about how “grateful” he feels for the opportunity to present This Morning.
He said: “I love doing the This Morning show. It’s great fun and I feel so grateful at this stage in my career to get an opportunity to do a show this size.
“Given that I’m on my second or third lap of this industry, to get an opportunity like this is fantastic.”
Craig went on to champion the importance of the daytime TV show, calling it a “backdrop for a lot of people’s mornings”.
He continued: “From anecdotal evidence, I know that it provides company and it’s almost a friend to a lot of people. There’s a familiarity, an everydayness and a brightness that makes it enjoyable.”
The presenter went on to say the show acts as a mirror that “encapsulates life”, in the way that people can be in a variety of different situations, from being in the supermarket, to being in work “discussing financial projections”.
Craig fronted the show for two days during Holly’s first week back on This Morning, following Phillip’s exit last month.
He previously guest hosted the show on Fridays and during school holidays, alongside presenters Josie Gibson, Rochelle Humes and Alison Hammond.
At the moment, a rotation of different This Morning presenters are hosting alongside Holly until a permanent replacement for Phillip Schofield is found.
The former host left ITV after he admitted to having an affair with a much younger colleague while working on the show.
According to the Daily Star, expert Andy Barr has claimed that Phillip could take a job with TalkTV.
He said: "TalkTV could be the career rebuilding platform that Schofield needs right now.
"If the current media spotlight reveals no new allegations then this is entirely recoverable for him and TalkTV could be the perfect place for him to start again in a high profile media environment."
