Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield's This Morning return date has been confirmed - and they've also revealed the imminent return of another show favourite. The hosting duo have been off-screens since July as they headed off on their lengthy annual summer break.
They said a temporary farewell to viewers as they hosted a rare Friday show before Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary kicked off the several weeks of summer shows which have since seen the likes of Rochelle Humes, Vernon Kay, and Josie Gibson all take to the helm.
But normality is set to resume very soon as Holly and Phillip's return date has been shared as Monday, September 5. In an interview ahead of their return, the presenting pair spoke about whether they got to catch up during their summer break away from the cameras.
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"Well funny enough we got to see each other quite a bit… to see each other socially is always really nice," Holly shared as Phillip added: "There were a few barbeques… and having Alison stay over recently was fun!"
Asked about returning to the programme as being like going back to school and possibly forgetting things, Holly, 41 said: "You know what, I sometimes forget what I’m doing after a long weekend! But you soon get back into the swing of things and that’s nice when there’s two of you because if I was on my own I’d be much more worried about that… we’ve always got each other to fall back on."
While Phillip, 60, revealed: "I never unpack my work bag, so on the last Friday the only thing I ever really packed away was my earpiece! My bag then goes on a little bench in my hallway and when it comes to returning I just pick it back up again! Thankfully there isn’t massive prep, there are so many other things to worry about in my head, but thankfully, after 40 years, telly is a solid safe thing that I know how to do, and with 20 of those being on This Morning I don’t get nervous here!"
And the best pals were also quizzed on whether This Morning viewers can expect anything new this autumn to which Holly revealed: "I know that we have some brand new series with Gino showing us around his homeland in Sardinia which will be amazing because it’s a fantastic place… and also a new fashion and travel series with Gok who will take viewers on a style tour of some great cities in the UK and across Europe, so I’m looking forward to that."
The news of Gino's return will be much welcomed by viewers who were gutted when he revealed his temporary exit earlier this year. But after cooking up a storm in the This Morning studio for the past 13 years, in September, the Italian chef will take viewers on a colourful culinary trip around his beloved Sardinia, where he resides for six months of the year.
He’ll also invite viewers into his home, Villa D’Acampo, and share his favourite family recipe. In the four-part series for This Morning, Gino will show viewers around the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, including travelling on a motorbike to a local port for a coffee. He also takes a trip to the Blue Zone of Sardinia which has the largest concentration of people that live to 100 years old, and visits a local goat herd and along the way, Gino will show those watching how to make some traditional hearty Italian dishes such as spaghetti vongole, a rack of lamb with honey and rosemary, and a family favourite - chicken in beer.
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