RTE has not ruled out the notion of a husband and wife duo as new hosts for the Late Late Show.
Patrick Kielty is now the frontrunner to take over the flagship show when Ryan Tubridy departs at the end of this month - but it hasn't been ruled out that that Patrick’s wife Cat Deeley may join her husband as co-host.
When asked about the prospect, an RTE spokesperson said today: "We will be revealing the new Late Late Show presenter in due course. We have no further comment to make at this time."
READ MORE: Paddy Power suspends Late Late Show betting after 'explosion' of bets on Patrick Kielty
The notion of Cat joining Patrick on the job was fuelled last weekend when she said: "Let's see if we can get it first, we can talk about that then."
Fans noticed how Cat - who married Patrick in 2012 - used the word "we" when talking about the hottest job in Irish TV.
Many observers and celebrities have also said that the show format needs a major shake-up.
The English mum of two has plenty of broadcasting experience, starting her career as a kids’ TV presenter working closely with British comedy duo Ant and Dec before embarking on a career on American TV as the long-running host of So You Think You Can Dance.
Meanwhile Paddy Power has suspended betting on the next Late Late host after frenzied punters lumped on one contender.
The betting giant took the decision last night following a string of bets on Patrick Kielty who has been heavily linked with replacing Ryan Tubridy.
Patrick became the favourite last week for the role after previous market leaders Claire Byrne and Sarah McInerney ruled themselves out of the running.
A spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “Things quietened down in the betting over the past couple of weeks but we had an explosion of activity yesterday.
“It was all one-way traffic, with customers willing to back Patrick Kielty no matter what the price and we therefore made the decision to pull the plug.
“This looks like a done-deal as far as we are concerned.”
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