Dermot O’Leary revealed he kicked off his This Morning hosting stint on three hours of sleep after presenting Soccer Aid the previous night.
The TV presenter, 50, is fronting the ITV morning show alongside Holly Willoughby for the next two weeks following Phillip Schofield’s departure.
Before taking to the sofa on Monday in London, O’Leary co-presented the charity football match with former footballer Alex Scott at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium.
Discussing the football match with O’Leary, Willoughby said: “Firstly, it was an amazing night. Secondly, are you OK because you were in Manchester, you’re now sitting on the sofa, how much sleep have you had?” to which he confessed it had been only three hours.
“I did wake up this morning and my first initial thought was ‘Mum, I don’t want to get to school today’,” he added.
They also revealed that O’Leary’s makeup artist had a “novel way” to wake him up, which involved dunking his head in a sink full of ice.
After showing a video of the method, he added: “It’s like downing a Slush Puppie so you get this amazing brain freeze.”
As they kicked off the show, the pair reflected on how they have not worked together on the show since 2014 when O’Leary filled in as a presenter.
Reflecting on a photo of them together from this time, Willoughby said: “This is nearly a decade ago … You look exactly the same. I’ve got a lot more hair which probably isn’t mine.”
She added: “It’s good to have you back.”
O’Leary has been co-hosting This Morning alongside Alison Hammond on Fridays since they took over from Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford in 2021 and after appearing on the show as a guest presenter over the years.
He has also filled in as host with Hammond recently after Schofield stepped down from presenting the ITV talk show with “immediate effect”.
Schofield, 61, resigned from ITV last month and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.
The broadcaster have now instructed a barrister to carry out an external investigation to “establish the facts” surrounding the relationship.
ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall has also been called to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.
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