Yahoo News Dancing On Ice: Will Holly Willoughby quit the show and who replaces Phillip Schofield?
It remains uncertain whether Holly Willoughby will return to the show
Holly Willoughby has stepped down from This Morning over an alleged kidnap plot leaving a question mark over whether she will return to Dancing On Ice.
Willoughby’s emotional statement in full revealed her reasoning behind leaving the This Morning sofa which was supported by ITV and her ITV colleagues.
There is already talk over who will replace Willoughby on This Morning and what she will do next?
Will Holly Willoughby quit Dancing on Ice?
Now her future on the ice, hosting ITV's skating competition show Dancing On Ice, remains uncertain and she has yet to address whether she will comeback to host the celebrity-packed show.
ITV has left it very much open and hinted it looks forward to working with Willoughby in the future.
Kevin Lygo, managing director of media and entertainment at ITV, said: "We are sad that Holly is leaving This Morning, but respect her decision which we know will have been extremely difficult for her to make. Holly is one of the best-loved, respected and most accomplished broadcasters in the UK.
"She has been at the heart of This Morning for the past 14 years, and she is adored by our viewers. Holly has brought her unique brand of warmth, energy, humour and fun to one of the country’s most popular daytime shows, and everyone on the programme will miss her enormously."
He concluded: "She remains a much-loved member of the ITV family and we look forward to continuing to work with her in the future."
Who is going to replace Phillip Schofield?
Once upon a time, Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were one of the most talked about presenting pairs in TV and they hosted Dancing on Ice together as well as This Morning.
However, Schofield departed from This Morning and Dancing on Ice following an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a much younger ITV staff member.
In May, Schofield said in a statement: "I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family.
"I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife. I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me."
Speculation has been rife over who will replace Schofield on the skating show.
Stephen Mulhern
Mulhern is currently leading the field, with bookies and fans thinking he may land the job.
The TV star is known for programmes like In For A Penny and Saturday Night Takeaway and he also has experience of the ice show, as he filled in for Schofield last year when the presenter had COVID.
After Schofield’s departure Gambling.com had him at 4/5 to take over.
Fans also reckon he would be “perfect”.
“I'm just waiting for Stephen Mulhern to be given the #DancingonIce job,” one tweeted.
“Stephen Mulhern was like a breath of fresh air, he has to be, if not, someone who really deserves to be presenter,” another fan posted.
“Fingers crossed for Stephen.”
“I will be shocked if it's anyone else,” remarked somebody else.
Dermot O'Leary
O’Leary had odds of 2/1 when Gambling.com’s list was unveiled last month, with plenty of people thinking he would be a safe pair of hands.
The TV star already knows Willoughby, as they are both part of the This Morning team, where he is impressing everyone with his skills on the sofa.
And he has experience of reality programmes because he used to present The X Factor.
Rylan
Rylan is thought to be a contender and now that he has stepped down from Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two, he may have room in his diary.
When he quit It Takes Two, he said it was time to "pass on the baton to someone else and explore what else life has for me".
And as he has made no secret of the fact he loves a good contest or reality show, some viewers think it's going to be Dancing on Ice next.
"Why not bring Rylan to present Dancing On Ice with Holly," one person recently tweeted.
"After all he did present It Takes Two."
Another predicted: "I’ve got a feeling Rylan may be in line for something after Phil leaving, whether on This Morning or Dancing On Ice."
Jordan Banjo
Jordan Banjo could be a good pick as he already knows a fair bit about the ITV show.
He was a backstage digital presenter on the programme and his brother Ashley Banjo is one of the judges.
Jordan Banjo also has hosting experience on shows such as Got To Dance and The Greatest Dancer.
Ben Shephard
Ben Shephard's name is another that has come up among viewers.
He is already an ITV man with his Good Morning Britain role, where he is a big hit with viewers.
And he's also skilled at lighter entertainment such as his Tipping Point programme.
Shephard has another thing going for him too - he previously hosted the spin-off Dancing On Ice Friday.
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