This Morning stars Holly Willoughby and Cat Deeley compete for top honours at NTAs

Former This Morning star Holly Willoughby is set to go head-to-head with current presenter Cat Deeley in a race for the Best TV Presenter award at this year's National Television Awards. The much-loved television figures were added to the long-list of nominees, announced Tuesday morning, before facing a public vote to narrow down the worthy candidates who could potentially walk away with the desired award come September.

This fresh rivalry has emerged just eight months subsequent to Holly revealing her departure from the show last October 2023. She chose to give up her spot on the famous ITV morning programme after presenting it for 14 years alongside Phillip Schofield.

Taking to Instagram during her poignant departure, Holly expressed her sentiments: "I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning. To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we've done together."

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"Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive. To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you. Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You've been loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day. Richard and Judy said, 'We only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers.' It's been an honour to just be part of it's story and I know this story has many chapters left to go. Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family. I will miss you all so much. Holly."

The big question of who would fill Holly's shoes remained a mystery for some time, but eventually in February 2024, Cat Deeley took over the presenting role, alongside Ben Shephard, on This Morning. Her performance has been well-received by fans, with both presenters having found their place in viewers' hearts, reports the Mirror.

Everyone will have to hold on until August to see if either presenter is shortlisted, with the result being revealed at a star-studded ceremony at London's O2 on September 11, 2024.

Holly has so far bagged five NTA awards for her exceptional presenting skills. On the other hand, Cat, despite being nominated five times for a similar award at the Primetime Emmys in the US, has yet to secure an NTA award.