Ben Shephard has announced he will be stepping away from his presenting duties on This Morning, yet remains mysterious about his whereabouts during the hiatus.
The former Good Morning Britain presenter, who’s been co-hosting with Cat Deeley following Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby’s departure, traditionally takes time off in line with school holidays. However, this break diverges from the usual pattern, as Ben disclosed he won’t appear on our screens next week.
After closing Thursday’s episode, he teased audiences: “I’m taking a couple of weeks away to go out and work on this exciting new project for ITV. It’s top secret! ”
The seasoned presenter, aged 49, also dropped hints of an imminent trip ‘to the other side of the world’ right after the show, yet withheld the specifics, Birmingham Live reports.
When Cat playfully pondered if his travels involved ‘witchetty grubs’ and the challenges of I’m A Celebrity bushtucker trials, Ben held his ground, stating: “I can neither confirm nor deny where in the world I’m going.”
Prodded further on whether he would be joining her ‘two mates’, the iconic Ant and Dec, Ben remained tight-lipped, insisting on not being able to ‘confirm or deny’ any speculations. He vowed to reveal all come Monday’s This Morning, promising to share details “live from where I am in the world”.
While the star has kept quiet about his future plans, speculation is rife about which celebrities will be heading to Australia for I’m A Celebrity, set to start in just over a week.
Ben and Cat took over presenting duties on This Morning after Schofield and Holly’s departures, who left within months of each other. Schofield admitted to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger work colleague prior to his departure.
However, the new presenting duo has had difficulty maintaining viewership, with audience numbers dropping by half in their first few months.
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