This Morning fans praise host shake-up as Dermot O’Leary is replaced

This Morning viewers who tune in on a Friday are used to seeing Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond present whilst Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield take their routine day off. But fans of the ITV show have today been treated to a new face as Dermot O’Leary, 49, is missing from his usual slot.

Irish TV presenter Craig Doyle, who known for his work on BBC, ITV and BT Sport, is stepping in Dermot’s shoes and his return to the show is very much welcomed by fans. Craig made his This Morning host debut during the May Bank Holiday and his appearance went down a treat with This Morning viewers.

Craig has previously presented competition segments on the programme, but it was on May 2 when he replaced Dermot for the first time with a full appearance alongside Alison Hammond.

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While the reason for Dermot’s absence hasn’t been revealed, fans are more than happy to see Craig after they begged for him to become a permanent host following his last stint on the show.

Viewers may recognise Craig as the main anchor on BT Sport Premiership and European Champions Cup rugby coverage. He has been at BT Sport as a rugby presenter since 2013 and also fronted the their MotoGP coverage from 2014 until 2018. Craig is also a presenter on ITV’s Rugby World Cup coverage.

Some may also know Craig as a blast from the past as he used to host the children’s programme Diggit on GMTV from 1998 to 2002 with Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates.

Welcoming him back on the show on Friday, Alison and Craig danced together as they gave viewers the ‘Friday feeling’.

Craig once again impressed This Morning viewers, with them praising the presenter shake-up and pleading again for him to stay on the show.

“Absolutely love Craig on #thismorning please make him a Friday regular,” said Nathan.

“Keep Craig permanently on #thismorning he’s head and shoulders above the other presenters” wrote Becky on Twitter.

“Love Craig as a presenter. No awkward interviews here, just very natural, flowing conversation. Can we keep him?,” a third viewer tweeted.

Phil and Holly are taking a break from This Morning next week during the May half-term with the pair not back on screen until after the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.

It is yet to be announced who will be replacing the pair throughout the week.