In the last few weeks ITV flagship show This Morning has never been far away from the headlines. The media attention began when it emerged that so-called best buddies Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were in the midst of a feud.
What followed was a week’s worth of pain-stakingly awkward moments between the pair on the show. For Phillip, who has also been dealing with his brother’s imprisonment, the drama appeared to prove too much. After more than 20 years, Phillip announced on Saturday, May 20 that he’d be leaving This Morning with immediate effect.
This Morning, which began in 1988, has seen a number of presenters come and go over the years. But who were they and why did they leave?
Read more: Phillip Schofield quits ITV's This Morning after 20 years on the sofa
Richard & Judy
Married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan were This Morning’s first presenters - a role they held between 1988 and 2001. Much like Phillip and Holly, they presented the show on Mondays to Thursdays each week.
In 2001 Richard and Judy announced that they were waving goodbye to the This Morning sofa. They had been approached by Channel 4 to create a similar show that was shown for an hour in the early evenings.
Channel 4’s Richard & Judy ran between 2001 and 2008. The couple then left the channel for UKTV to host Richard and Judy’s New Position, which only lasted a year itself. Richard is now a regular presenter on Good Morning Britain while Judy prefers to stay out of the limelight.
Ross Kelly
Ross first joined the show in 1990 as a relief presenter before leaving in 1993 to be a producer and relief presenter on GMTV. In 2000 he returned to This Morning as a relief presenter once again.
Alongside his occasional work on This Morning, Ross - not to be confused with GMB and Lorraine showbiz correspondent Ross King - also appeared on Blankety Blank and The Heaven and Earth Show. He has had no notable TV appearances since 2001.
Caron Keating
In 1998 Caron was introduced to the show in the 10th series to present on Fridays when Richard and Judy were off. Prior to joining she'd already found fame on popular BBC children's TV series Blue Peter.
After only a year on the show, Caron was forced to step down due to ill health. She tragically passed away at the age of just 41 in 2004 following a battle with cancer.
Twiggy
Model, actress and singer Twiggy briefly appeared as a presenter on This Morning in September 2001 following Richard and Judy’s departure. Her stint on the show could hardly be deemed a success as she was quickly axed by producers.
At the time, The Guardian reported how Twiggy was given a £40,000 pay-off by ITV bosses after they persuaded Fern Britton to return from her maternity leave early. Twiggy was slammed as being “wooden” on the show.
John Leslie
Prior to hosting This Morning between 1999 and 2002, John Leslie was already a recognisable face on British television. He famously hosted Music Box, Blue Peter and Formula One prior to appearing on the show.
In 2002 John was sensationally dismissed from This Morning by ITV. It came after TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson had written an autobiography, titled Honest, in which she alleged that "an acquaintance" had raped her when she was 19, reports OK! She didn’t name him, but after Matthew Wright mistakenly identified the predator as John Leslie on his live Channel 5 TV show The Wright Stuff, rumours flew around. He was replaced on This Morning by Phillip Schofield.
Fern Britton
During her 10 years on the This Morning sofa Fern hosted the show alongside both John Leslie and Phillip Schofield. Prior to joining the show in 1999 she’d been the presenter of BBC’s Ready Steady Cook.
In 2009 Fern announced her decision to leave This Morning. After she did so, there were reports that she’d been involved in a bitter feud with co-host Phillip.
In his autobiography, Life Is What You Make It, Phillip said he argued with Fern in a makeup room over the content of an episode and was surprised when she accused him of "meddling". He said: "I walked back into the makeup room and calmly said, ‘Please don't do that to me again.’
"I think, for whatever reason, that was the point Fern decided she didn't want to do This Morning any more." After her exit, reports emerged that Fern left This Morning because Phillip was paid more than her.
Lorraine Kelly
From 2004 Lorraine co-presented with Phillip on Mondays and Fridays, so Fern could spend more time with her family. Despite being a huge hit with viewers, she was forced to leave the show because she was struggling to split her time between This Morning and presenting GMTV.
And the rest is history...
Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford
In 2021 Eamonn stepped down from This Morning after presenting on the show since 2006. He usually hosted on a Friday alongside wife Ruth Langsford.
Eamonn's exit from ITV came after he and Ruth were dropped from their Friday slot on the programme in favour of Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond. Ruth still occasionally presents This Morning as a relief presenter but Eamonn has moved on to pastures new.
Shortly after leaving, Eamonn joined GB News. When asked by The Mirror last year if he ‘quit’ he replied: “The department of disinformation at ITV can put out all the lies they want. I wish somebody would show me the email or the letter or that I was sent to say, ‘Eamonn, this is why this is coming to an end’. But to tell lies, I left them to go to GB News... I didn’t – they left me. Let’s get it straight. They left me. I don’t care, because our audience is only up."
Coleen Nolan
Prior to being a regular panelist on ITV's Loose Women, Coleen Nolan had two stints as a presenter on sister show This Morning. She first appeared appeared from 2001 to 2002 alongside Twiggy before returning between 2010 and 2012.
Announcing her final exit from the show in 2012, the former member of the Nolan Sisters told The Mirror: "I’ve had the most brilliant time over the past two years on This Morning and before that there were 11 great years on Loose Women, but I wanted to try some different projects and this was the time to do it."
Matt Johnson
Welsh presenter Matt, who was born in Caerphilly, worked on This Morning between 2010-2013. During his time on the show he mainly worked as part of the interactive 'Hub' team.
Matt left This Morning when he moved from ITV to Channel 5 in order to host OK!TV. "Every day is different on This Morning so that’s why I loved being a part of that incredible kind of institution," Matt said about his time on the show in an interview with Express in 2018. "It was good to leave because I was there for four years, and you start doing the same thing after a while."
This Morning airs on weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
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