Dermot O’Leary, who presents This Morning with Alison on Fridays, explained why they didn’t put themselves forward for the slot, which Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley ultimately filled

This Morning presenter Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary

Dermot presents This Morning with the bubbly Alison on Fridays(Image: ITV)

Dermot O’Leary has shared the actual reason why he and Alison Hammond didn’t take over Holly and Phil’s slot on This Morning.

In May 2023, Phillip Schofield shocked fans when he left ITV’s flagship show, later admitting to what he described as an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger male colleague.

Meanwhile, his co-star, Holly Willoughby, departed the show in October 2023, leaving a void that Dermot and Alison could have filled but was instead taken up by Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.

In a recent interview, Dermot, 51, who presents This Morning with the bubbly Alison on Fridays, explained that this scenario played out for a specific reason linked to his family.

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield

Holly and Phil left This Morning in 2023(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Dermot said he and Alison didn’t put themselves forward to replace the duo on This Morning as he enjoys his morning drop-offs with his son, Kasper, stressing the importance of a “good work-life balance”.

He told the Sunday Times: “We’re both busy enough. It’s about a good work-life balance. I’ve worked long and hard enough to know what is important.”

Dermot and his wife, Dee Koppang, welcomed their son into the world in June 2020. The presenter previously admitted that he’d become more family-oriented since Kasper’s arrival.