Mollie King has appeared at the helm of This Morning, hosting alongside Dermot O’Leary.
TV viewers tuned in on Tuesday (December 12) morning to see the former Saturdays star on the famous couch, who said she was nervous co-hosting the hit ITV show live.
The show is currently short of presenters after Holly Willoughby announced that she was quitting This Morning after 14 years in October.
Josie Gibson is absent as she has been in the I’m a Celebrity jungle and is believed to still be over in Australia while Rochelle Humes, another regular on the sofa, is also over there supporting husband Marvin who appeared on the show.
Another regular, Alison Hammond, has also taken some time off over the festive season to appear in a pantomime.
And with Mollie King’s appearance, many thought Holly had returned with many saying ITV had found her “doppleganger”.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, one person wrote: “Congratulations on This Morning #ITV for finding Holly’s doppelgänger”, while another added: “Just got home from work, turned on #ThisMorning and had a do a double take because I thought Holly was back.”
A number of well-known people have appeared as guest presenters on This Morning since Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield decided to quit their positions earlier this year.
But, now that rumours are rife about who will be stepping in to replace the star, we take a look at some of the names doing the rounds and who are the favourites to get a spot on the hottest sofa in town, according to bookies’ latest odds.
Alison Hammond
Current role: co-host of The Great British Bake Off and presenter on This Morning
Favourite
Already well embedded in the This Morning family, Alison Hammond is the firm favourite to get given Holly’s job. The 48-year-old is the frontrunner and is already a regular presenter on the popular daytime TV show.
She has been working as a presenter on This Morning since 2002, starting off as a showbusiness reporter on the show before co-hosting with Dermot O’Leary on Fridays and more recently stepping in after Schofield’s departure.
Hammond originally found fame on Big Brother in 2002 and has since established herself as a presenter. She also recently replaced Matt Lucas on The Great British Bake Off, and is now hosting the show alongside Noel Fielding.
Josie Gibson
Current role: rotating presenter for This Morning
2/1
Another former Big Brother contestant, Josie Gibson made her name after appearing on the reality show in 2010. Since then, Gibson has had a host of presenting gigs and she’s already well known to the This Morning audience base.
After leaving the Big Brother house, She became an OK! TV presenter. In 2019, she joined This Morning as a competition announcer, and became a presenter on the show in 2021 when she filled in for Holly Willoughby at the last minute. She’s since done holiday cover and was presenting alongside Willoughby after Phillip Schofield’s departure.
Gibson recently told The Mirror that her favourite co-host is Alison Hammand: “Obviously my favourite is Alison Hammond. I love Al – she’s got such a special energy,” she said. “She is the kindest person on Earth. You could ring Al and after the phone call, you feel a million dollars. You’d never know if she was in a bad mood because she’s too busy trying to make you feel good.”
Rochelle Humes
Current role: co-presenter on Ninja Warrior UK, co-host of The Hit List and guest host on This Morning
10/1
Rochelle Humes is another presenter who is already known to audiences, but not quite on the scale as the two ladies running in front of her for the top job.
Humes started her career in the girl band The Saturdays, which shot to fame in 2007. The singer has gone on to present a number of television shows, including Ninja Warrior UK and The Xtra Factor, and has stepped in to co-host the daytime show on the odd occasion since 2013.
Humes is married to Marvin Humes, fellow singer and former member of boyband JLS. The pair host the The Hit List on BBC, a Saturday night gameshow.
Lisa Snowdon
Current role: presenter, author and podcast host
16/1
Lisa Snowdon would be a new addition to the This Morning sofa, but is no stranger to presenting. Snowdon started out as a model, but has gone on to forge a career as a presenter on TV and radio.
From 2006 to 2009, she hosted Britain’s Next Top Model, and she co-presented Capital Breakfast on Capital London from 2008 to 2015. While Snowdon hasn’t stood in for the presenters on This Morning, she has hosted fashion segments on the show.
She has also appeared on I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! as well as Celebrity Masterchef, which she won.
Amanda Holden
Current role: Britain’s Got Talent judge and co-host of Heart Breakfast
25/1
Amanda Holden is no stranger to the This Morning couch, and has often stepped in to host the show when needed, appearing as a co-host with both Phillip Schofield and Ben Shepherd throughout the years.
Holden is a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and co-hosts the Heart Breakfast radio show with Jamie Theakston on weekday mornings.
In the wake of Philip Schofield leaving This Morning, Holden backed Dermot O’Leary to replace him as a presenter. After years of rumoured rifts with stalwart hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield, could now be the time she is finally crowned queen of the sofa?
Ben Shephard
A familiar figure on the ITV circuit, Ben Shephard anchors the daytime challenge show Tipping Point in addition to serving as a regular presenter for Good Morning Britain.
The 48-year-old has a good chance of filling in the role full time.
Davina McCall
One of the most well-known TV presenters in the UK is Davina McCall MBE. She is best known for hosting hit shows including Big Brother, Long Lost Family, and her most recent project, My Mum, Your Dad.
With a career spanning more than two decades, McCall has been lauded for her cheery and loving nature. She has the skill to bring any kind of show to life, be it reality programmes, talent shows, quiz shows, or documentaries so she could be the perfect fit for This Morning.
Christine Lampard
In addition to her present role as Lorraine Kelly's stand-in on Loose Women, Christine Lampard has also appeared on Daybreak and The One Show for the BBC.
An ITV spokesperson told The Sun: “Christine is popular with viewers and was a huge success when she covered Holly’s maternity leave.
“She’s an ITV talent and very well liked by executives as she’s so hard-working and friendly.”
Gok Wan
Gok Wan, a fashion expert and chef, co-hosted the show with Rylan Clark in 2018, and the audience loved it so much that he returned as a frequent guest presenter.
ITV could be willing to give him a bigger part on the show.
