ITV has hit back at claims that Tess Daly and Vernon Kay are being lined up to take over presenting duties on This Morning.
The broadcaster has reaffirmed its support for the show’s current hosts, Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, following speculation that the married presenters could be considered for the role.
Reports had suggested the TV “golden couple” might be in line for the job if Deeley and Shephard move on when their contracts come up for renewal later this year.
However, an ITV spokesperson told The Standard: “We are very happy with Cat, Ben, Alison, and Dermot as This Morning’s lead presenters and there are no plans for that to change.
“2026 has got off to a great start for the show with viewing up year on year and a weekly reach of 3.7 million viewers.”
The speculation followed Daly, 56, appearing alongside her husband Kay, 51, on a special edition of The One Show last month.
The couple co-hosted the BBC programme while regular presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp were away filming the BBC storytelling competition 500 Words at Windsor Castle.
It marked the first time Daly and Kay had presented together in nearly two decades, prompting a warm response from viewers who praised their on-screen chemistry.
Some reports suggested the appearance had caught the attention of ITV executives searching for a presenting partnership similar to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, who famously fronted This Morning during the show’s early years.
Daly’s recent TV appearance came after she stepped down as a presenter of Strictly Come Dancing following a 21-year run on the BBC ballroom competition.
The pair are no strangers to hosting together. Daly and Kay previously co-presented the BBC singing competition Just the Two of Us between 2006 and 2007.
They first met in the early 2000s while working as presenters on rival Saturday morning television shows — Kay on Channel 4’s T4 and Daly on ITV’s SMTV — before beginning a relationship soon afterwards.
The couple married in 2003 at St Mary’s Church in Horwich, Greater Manchester, Kay’s hometown, and share two daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16.
