Craig Doyle thrilled fans as he returned to the This Morning sofa this week.
The Irish presenter arrived on ITV's flagship daytime programme during a turbulent time as the show is still reeling in the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal. Holly Willoughby returned for the first time without her former co-host as the show entered a new chapter.
Craig has emerged as the favourite to be announced as Mr Schofield's long-term successor as fans suggested he should be given the role permanently during episodes broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday. Ahead of his stint on the sofa, Craig admitted his love for the show and sent a defiant response to rumours that This Morning is a toxic place to work.
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He said: "Delighted to join the wonderful Holly on the sofa later this week. The show has been a joy to work on with one of the hardest working & talented teams I know."
Craig has previously hosted the show alongside Alison Hammond, Josie Gibson and Mollie King. Fans have praised his natural presenting style and have often been shocked when they find out he is actually aged 52.
Throughout the week, a Twitter user named Peter said: "Craig Doyle is a very handsome chap. He looks very well at 52."
Away from the sofa, Craig is happily married to his wife, Doon. The two tied the knot in 2001 and share four children named Quin, Muireann, Milo and Elsa.
Craig has previously revealed how he was initially nervous during the early stages of their relationship. According to Mirror Online, he told RTE: "I was home in Ireland just before I started on Tomorrow’s World and a mate of mine said to me ‘Doyler! Ya gotta meet this bird. I tried my heart out with her but it isn’t happening.’
"She was working in the gym part-time before she started college and I went along to the gym. I didn’t even have gym gear with me. I had a pair of shorts and a pair of shoes, I looked like a k**b and I met her and I thought ‘holy god'. We were on our third date, the kissing date, and we were in Greystones and we had a drink and we were out walking and as I left, I shook her hand. Complete nerd.
"She looked at me like I was a real t**t and said ‘that was the kissing date. Why didn’t you kiss me?’ I was scared. I fancied her you see.”
Craig's wife remains out of the limelight as his social media channels are largely dedicated to his professional projects. Craig revealed on air this week that his family still live in Ireland as his children were sitting important exams.
The broadcaster has previously explained how he sold his house in London to raise a family in his home country. He told the Belfast Telegraph in 2017: "We wanted to bring the kids up at home, and to be near my parents, so I sold the house I had in London, in Kew."
Craig is a doting dad and credited his wife for keeping "the ship rolling". He told the Belfast Telegraph: "She's amazing. I go to work but I'm really only doing my hobby. She has a hell of a lot more patience than me."
In the 2017 interview, Craig also revealed he wanted his children to be close to his dad, who had suffered a number of health scares. The broadcaster took to Instagram in 2020 to issue a touching tribute to his dad, who had died a year earlier.
He shared a snap of the two and said: "Dad. His birthday this day last year - he gave us two more weeks. If you met him, you were one of the lucky ones... a divil and a dote and we miss him terribly. Love your folks and keep them close. Happy Birthday old boy x"
Fans flooded the comments with supportive comments after the update.
Myra said: "Lovely words Craig and he must be so proud of you."
Niall posted: "Sean Doyle....his legend lives on"
Sinead added: "Happy Birthday Sean and what a guy he was, thinking of you all xxx"
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