EVER since Ben Shephard announced he was leaving Good Morning Britain, fans have been wondering who will replace him.
Lots of big names of talented presenters are being thrown into the hat and the bookies have revealed their favourites.
Who could replace Ben Shephard on GMB?
After over two decades on breakfast TV, Ben Shephard is leaving Good Morning Britain.
He's not going far, as it has been announced that the popular presenter is the new host of ITV's This Morning.
When I left GMTV, I always swore I’d never go back because of the early mornings and it goes to show how wrong I was.
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Ben started his career on morning telly in the early noughties when he joined GMTV, which was ITV's previous breakfast show.
Since the announcement that he will be leaving GMB, the bookies have been tipping who could be Mr Shephard's replacement (odds supplied by Ladbrokes).
Ed Balls - 3/1
Ed Balls is the frontrunner to replace Ben as the new Thursday to Friday host of Good Morning Britain.
The former MP often hosts the show, so he knows what he is doing and knows his way around the studio.
Ed famously started his career as a politican, and in the 2005 General Election he was elected to represent Normanton and remained an MP until 2015.
When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007 he was promoted to Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, but he is best known for his years of financial wrangling in the Treasury.
He ran for the leadership of the Labour Party in 2010, following Brown's resignation, but lost out to Ed Miliband.
Since leaving politics, Ed has turned his attention to television presenting.
Roman Kemp - 4/1
The bookies are also predicting Roman Kemp could be in the running to replace Ben on Good Morning Britain.
The Capital FM breakfast show host announced that he will be leaving the radio station for new opportunities.
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As a result, rumours are swirling that Roman - who is wanting to step more into TV - will be filling in Shephard's slot.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "Our traders are putting two and two together here, and with a Ben Shephard shaped hole to fill, the odds suggest Capital's loss could well be Good Morning Britain's gain."
Meanwhile, Roman will be replaced by Jordan North on Capital Breakfast following his decision to quit BBC Radio 1.
The rest of the odds to replace Ben are:
- Adil Ray - 5/1
- Rylan Clark - 6/1
- Alison Hammond - 6/1
- Amol Rajan - 8/1
- Jermaine Jenas - 8/1
- Stacey Dooley - 8/1
- Alex Beresford - 10/1
- Jordan Banjo - 16/1
- Stephen Mulhern - 16/1
- Piers Morgan - 16/1
Will Kate Garraway still host GMB?
Kate Garraway will continue to host GMB every Thursday and Friday, but with a new co-host.
Talking about Ben leaving, she said in an emotional post: "You’ll be SOOOOO missed by EVERYONE @gmb viewers and the team alike & of course especially me.
"BUT after 24 years hard labour by my side no one will begrudge you time off for good behaviour!!!
"Good luck swapping early starts for (abit) of a lie in and a Kate for a Cat! @catdeeley can’t wait to see you - you’ll have a ball."
When will Ben Shephard leave GMB?
It's been announced that Ben's last episode of GMB will be on February 23, 2024.
He will be on air alongside Kate Garraway from 6am until 9am, before saying goodbye to viewers.
Ben and Cat Deeley were announced as the official This Morning replacement for Holly Willoughby, and Phillip Schofield, who both left in 2023.
In an emotional announcement confirming the move, Ben paid tribute to his 10 years on Good Morning Britain, and his 'work wife' Kate.
He said: “I’ve loved hosting Good Morning Britain over the past 10 years since it launched.
"When I left GMTV, I always swore I’d never go back because of the early mornings and it goes to show how wrong I was."
"I’m grateful that my extended GMB family is only next door so that whenever I get nostalgic, I know I’m not going to being far away. Although I’ll miss being on screen with them, my later starts mean I may be able to hang out with them all a bit more!
"One of the hardest decisions of course is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of nearly 20 years, is coming to an end.
"Her journey has been well documented, and I think we would all agree how remarkable she has been over the last four years.
"I won’t miss the mess but I’ve learned so much from her, as I have from all of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside.”
This Morning have confirmed Ben and Cat will start on the show in March 2024, with an exact date to be confirmed.
