The lively duo hosts This Morning on Fridays, but the reason they didn’t take on the role full-time has remained a mystery – until now.

Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond chose not to present This Morning full time (Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images)

Dermot O’Leary has revealed the real reason why he and Alison Hammond didn’t step into Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s shoes on This Morning.

In May 2023, Phillip shocked fans by leaving ITV’s flagship morning show, later revealing an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger male colleague. Just five months later, his co-host Holly also said goodbye to the show, creating an opening that Dermot and Alison could have filled.

Ultimately, Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley were chosen as their replacements. However, in a recent interview, Dermot shared a deeply personal reason why he and Alison – who co-hosts the show with him on Fridays – decided to turn down the opportunity for a full-time role.

The former X Factor host explained that he treasures his morning school runs with his son, Kasper, and emphasized the importance of maintaining a “good work-life balance.” He told The Sunday Times: “We’re both busy enough. It’s about finding a good balance. I’ve worked long and hard enough to understand what truly matters.

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield left This Morning in 2023 (Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Dermot and his wife, Dee Koppang, celebrated the arrival of their son in June 2020. In a candid admission, Dermot revealed that fatherhood has made him more focused on family life.

In an earlier interview with The Sunday Times, he opened up about how having a child changed his perspective on life, reshaping his idea of “happiness.” He expressed a strong desire to spend more quality time with his wife and their “little man.”

He said: “Do I need another car? The latest gadget? A bit of vintage Van Morrison vinyl? No, forget the material stuff. What I want is to be with the people I love!

Dermot and his wife, Dee Koppang (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Dee’s work means that we’re not always together but, those evenings when we are, we make the most of spending proper time together as a family.”

Dermot has also achieved success with his children’s book series Toto the Ninja Cat, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and been translated into several languages.

Growing up in Colchester with his Irish parents, Maria and Sean, and his older sister Nicky, Dermot has always had a deep love for literature. Reflecting on this, he once shared, “I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I haven’t had a book by my bedside.”

He went on to say, “I have friends who tell me, ‘I read The Da Vinci Code in 2008 and haven’t picked up a book since,’ and I find that hard to understand. I can’t imagine not reading. I don’t think I could sleep without one.