The presenter said an emotional farewell to Martin Frizell, who leaves after a turbulent few years for the ITV daytime show.

What did you miss?

Alison Hammond has broken down in tears while saying goodbye to This Morning boss Martin Frizell, who has bowed out of his role running the ITV daytime show.

Frizell announced his departure in November, saying that he expected his “family priorities to change” following wife Fiona Phillips’ 2022 diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease. His exit comes after a turbulent few years at This Morning that has been hit by scandals concerning its previous presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

But Hammond and her co-host Josie Gibson were emotional as they credited TV boss Frizell with “transforming” their careers, as he reassured them: “If you were both rubbish, you wouldn’t be on telly.”

Hammond has become a household name in broadcasting since landing a regular role presenting at This Morning in 2020 and had been a guest host at the show before taking over the Friday episode. She broke down in tears as she told outgoing This Morning editor Frizell that he was responsible for her success.

Frizell edited his final show on Friday after announcing in November that he would be leaving and Hammond called it “the end of an era” as she and Gibson asked him to join them on screen at the end of the episode.

What, how, and why?

It was a sad day for Josie Gibson and Alison Hammond as Martin Frizell left the show. (Shutterstock/ITV)
It was an emotional moment for the TV stars as they thanked him for giving them their big break on TV. Both Hammond and Gibson had first found fame as Big Brother housemates, before being snapped up by ITV.

Hammond said: “Over the last decade on This Morning, Martin has helped shine a light on topics like men’s mental health, the menopause, and a cause close to his heart, Alzheimer’s.”

Gibson added: “We’ve had a lot of fun, too. From spooky Halloween parties to taking over Downton Abbey, Coronation Street and Buckingham Palace, and even buying our very own forest, it’s all thanks to this man.”

Martin Frizell has been This Morning’s longest-serving editor. (PA Images)
Turning to Frizell, Hammond then broke down in tears as she shared: “But he’s also the one who took a chance on us, transforming mine and Josie’s careers and giving us incredible opportunities, and we just want to say thank you so very much. On behalf of the team at This Morning, we think you’re incredible and we’re so sad to see you go.”

Gibson agreed: “I just want to say Martin, thank you so much because you believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself and you grew me as a presenter and I just can’t thank you enough.”

This Morning has made stars of Josie Gibson and Alison Hammond. (Getty Images)
But with moments to spare before Hammond cut him off for the end of the programme, Frizell told them: “If you were both rubbish, you wouldn’t be on telly, ok, so you’re very good. It’s been a great ride and a fantastic time.”

Since becoming a regular presenter at This Morning, Hammond has also landed prominent roles hosting The Great British Bake Off and the late Paul O’Grady’s show For The Love Of Dogs.

Who is Martin Frizell?

Martin Frizell plans to support his wife Fiona Phillips. (Getty Images)
TV boss Frizell has been This Morning’s longest-running editor, having been at the helm for 10 years and originally joining ITV in 2014 as the editor of Loose Women.

He is married to journalist and broadcaster Fiona Phillips, who revealed in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease the year before. She is set to publish a book, Remember When, about her experiences and said: “I hope this book can show people a little about what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s. How frightening and confusing it is. But also how much life can still bring joy and be valued.”

Frizell announced in November that he was planning to leave This Morning and said in a statement: “Next year I’m expecting my family priorities to change so I need to free up time for them. I love my team at ITV and will miss them and the thrill of live telly but it’s an always on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment and I won’t be able to do both.”

Martin Frizell joining his wife Fiona Phillips on GMTV. (PA Images)
He continued: “It’s been a privilege to lead truly great presenters and producers. Between us we’ve turned out more than 6,000 hours of live topical telly, that’s around 20,000 items and whilst the gongs are always nice, I’m most proud of the change we made to so many lives, even saving a fair few with our campaigns on anti-suicide, menopause, testicular cancer and ‘how – to’ items.

“This juggernaut is the toughest test for any broadcast journalist.”

The show has faced many of those tough tests during Frizell’s reign, including a row over whether long-time presenting duo Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby had jumped a queue at Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state in 2022.

Competition segment Spin To Win also came in for criticism around the same time as some accused the show of insensitivity by offering to pay energy bills as a prize during the cost of living crisis.

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were at the centre of This Morning’s queuegate scandal. (PA/Alamy Live News
When Schofield’s affair with a much younger male colleague came to light, there were accusations levelled at the show of being a toxic work environment. Schofield eventually stepped down from his 20 years on the programme and appeared to hint at bad feeling with former colleagues in 2024 tell-all Channel 5 show Cast Away.

Frizell also came under fire in 2023 when a Sky News journalist approached him to ask about reports of a toxic work culture and he gave the bizarre response: “I’ll tell you what’s toxic and I’ve always found it toxic. Aubergine. Do you like aubergine? Do you? Do you like aubergine because I don’t like aubergine. It’s just a personal thing.”

Willoughby also chose to leave This Morning after 14 years hosting in 2023 when she discovered that she had been the target of a kidnap plot. The show was left without a permanent hosting line-up and tried out different guest combinations, before landing on Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley as their replacements. Hammond and her co-star Dermot O’Leary have remained as Friday presenters.

Frizell will be replaced by Vivek Sharma, who had been serving as associate editor of This Morning.

This Morning airs on ITV1 at 10am on weekdays.