Phillip Schofield shocked fans on Saturday afternoon when he uploaded a bombshell statement to his Instagram story to announce he was stepping down from his presenting role on This Morning.
The 61-year-old had been presenting the ITV show since 2002, with he and co-star Holly Willoughby once one of the nation's most loved duos.
However, rumours of an alleged rift began circulating after it was claimed the pair had not been speaking off camera for months.
Phil's brother Timothy was also recently found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a three year period and Schofield allegedly kept Willoughby in the dark about his trial.
After a brief return to the show last week with Holly, Schofield confirmed on Saturday that he would be stepping down from the show with "immediate effect" after 20 years in "the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future."
With Schofield's exit, there are a lot of rumoured celebrities in the mix to take on the role of the new full time presenter on the British daytime chat show.
Here is a list of some of the most likely contenders that may fill Phil's shoes..
Stacey Solomon
Stacey Solomon could be filling Phil's shoes after she told her Instagram followers that she had some "exciting" news to share soon that had made her "dreams" come true.
Fans were left speculating whether or not the mum-of-five was referring to a new presenting role on ITV's This Morning following the swift exit of Philip Schofield amid his alleged feud with Holly Willoughby.
The TV personality has appeared as a guest on the show many times to discuss her organisational tips and skills.
Solomon uploaded a picture of a diary to social media with one of her entries reading: "September 2023!"
The star added: “Just had one of the most exciting meetings of my life. I can’t even tell you how excited I am to share this with you soon. My dream.”
Last year, after Holly and Phil were falsely accused of queue jumping during the Queen's lying in state it was rumoured that ITV were eyeing up Stacey Solomon and her husband Joe Swash to fill their places after the strong public backlash.
A source told Closer magazine: "Executives on the show have admired Stacey Solomon for a long time. She’s a huge hit on Loose Women and has a broad appeal among all age groups who watch ITV."
They continued: "Stacey actually started talking to This Morning bosses several months ago and they made clear they saw a role for both her and Joe to work as part of the programme in the future.
Alison Hammond
Alison Hammond is a strong contender for the next presenter on ITV's This Morning chat show.
The British TV personality has been co-hosting the Friday slot on This Morning since 2021 and also recently stepped in to cover Phil during his absence from the show.
According to the Mirror, Hammond is the bookies' favourite to replace Schofield as she is tipped 2/1 to be joining This Morning's sofa on a more regular basis.
The 48-year-old is said to get on well with Holly Willoughby who has been presenting alongside Schofield on This Morning since 2009. The Daily Mail has reported that an alleged source has spoken of how Willoughby wants her new best friend to be her next co-star on the show and has told ITV bosses about her desire who are in agreement with her opinion.
Hammond has stepped into the role for the time being alongside Dermot O'Leary while Holly Willoughby takes some time off and ITV bosses decide on a new presenter to replace Schofield.
The pair opened the programme today with a tribute to Phil who announced his exit from the show over the weekend after 20 years.
O'Leary said: "Everyone on and off screen at ITV and This Morning want to say a huge thank you to Phil for what he's done to make the show such a success over the last 21 years."
Hammond continued: "Quite simply, we all know he's one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had, and we and all the team wish him all the best for the future."
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is suspected to be another possible choice for the presenting role on This Morning after being selected to temporarily co-host the show while a new presenter is confirmed for the job.
The 49-year-old broadcaster who is best known for formerly presenting the X Factor on ITV already presents the Friday show alongside Alison Hammond after legends Eammon Holmes and Ruth Langsford were dropped from the roles.
Mirror readers reportedly voted for both duos, Holmes and Langsford or Hammond and O'Leary to replace Phil AND Holly on This Morning.
Bookies William Hill recently revealed that Dermot has been backed by punters to step into Schofield's role and be the next permanent host by the end of the week.
William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, said: "As rumours intensify about Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby’s off-air relationship on ITV’s This Morning, we’ve seen backing for Friday presenter Dermot O’Leary to replace Schofield over the next few days."
Rylan Clark
Rylan has hinted that he may be next in line for the presenting role after he recently announced that he was taking a break from his BBC Radio 2 programme.
He told listeners: "This is where I should say ladies I won't be catching up with you next week. Because I am off to do some other bits and bobs so I'm not going to be here for a fair few weeks."
The Eurovision' host's announcement came just hours after Philip Schofield revealed he was stepping down from his presenting role on This Morning over the weekend.
Rylan has previously co-hosted This Morning alongside Holly Willoughby before and became close pals with his "TV mum and dad", Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford who used to host the show on Fridays.
Keen fans took to Twitter to express their hopes that the 34-year-old is next in line for the job as @arsenaldowns78 wrote: "Rylan I hope your taking the job at this morning think you’ll be a much better fit than Phillip was".
Rochelle Humes
Rochelle Humes could be the next permanent This Morning host just weeks after she stepped in to co-host along Schofield while Holly Willoughby was off sick with shingles.
The Saturdays star has publicly supported Phil after his exit from the show over the weekend, having been a part of the ITV 'family' herself for 10 years and regularly stepping in to host This Morning when necessary.
Humes took to Instagram to pay tribute to her co-star with various snaps of them both in fits of giggles while presenting the show. The 33-year-old accompanied the photos with an emotional caption to her pal which read: "I've proudly been part of the This Morning family for almost 10 years and over the last few, it has been an absolute pleasure learning so much from you.
"Thanks for all the lessons - you're a fountain of knowledge and laughter...Big love @schofe."
Rochelle's husband, Marvin Humes is also no stranger to the show having previously joined his wife to present the programme in various slots between 2013 and 2015.
Vernon Kay
Vernon is also a part of the huge ITV "family", having previously co-presented with Rochelle Humes and Josie Gibson over the summer and Easter holidays.
Fans have previously expressed their desire for the former All Star Family Fortune's host to take on the role after Holly and Philip received a huge amount of public criticism last year for their false queue jumping accusations and took some time away from the show.
One viewer tweeted: 'Sack Holly and Phil and appoint Vernon Kay'.
Although Vernon is likely to be busy with his latest gig as the new BBC Radio2 presenter after taking over from Ken Bruce, it is still believed he could be the new permanent presenter on the daytime chat show.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.
