Piers Morgan 'flattered' to be Yahoo's most searched for celebrity of 2021

Piers Morgan wants to reassure his fans that he'll not be hard to find in 2022 after being named Yahoo's most searched for celebrity of 2021.

After crunching the data of millions of searches on Yahoo, Morgan's name rose to the top as the personality that drove the most interest over the last 12 months.

In a statement to Yahoo, Morgan told us: "I’m very flattered that so many people are searching for me, and would like to reassure them all that I can be found on my new global TV show in 2022."

2021 has been a busy year for UK celebrities not just the future host of a flagship show on Rupert Murdoch's talkTV, launching next year.

Read more: The most controversial TV moments of the year

Normal service resumed in the world of showbiz, with red carpets given the greenlight and reality shows back on the telly.

There were meltdowns, public spats, red carpet dramas, court cases, and the usual showbiz shenanigans.

These are the ten UK celebs that Yahoo users couldn't get enough of in 2021.

10: Dan Walker

The wholesome host of BBC Breakfast has been ubiquitous in 2021, and was the comforting TV presence we all needed. Whether it was being the face of the BBC's Olympics coverage, his departure from Football Focus, his ongoing feud with Piers Morgan, or his surprisingly successful stint on Strictly, this was the year than Dan Walker made as many headlines as he read.

9: Naga Munchetty

Naga Munchetty has continued to be another comforting presence on morning television as the face of BBC Breakfast. She made headlines for the wrong reasons back in February though, after viewers of Saturday Kitchen accused her and Charlie Stayt of being 'rude guests'. She rode out the wave of bad press though, and has continued to speak up against the online abuse she receives on a daily basis.

8: Rachel Riley

Rachel Riley welcomed her second baby with Strictly pro Pasha Kovalev on Bonfire Night, but it was not the only time that there were fireworks for the Countdown presenter in 2021. She also won a libel case against a blogger who'd accused her of harassing a teenager on Twitter, she became part of Countdown's first ever all-female line up when Anne Robinson took over hosting duties, and she revealed the time she'd been groped by a fan, all while continuing her battle against anti-semitism in the UK.

7: Kate Garraway

GMB's Kate Garraway has unwittingly become the face of the UK coronavirus tragedy with her husband Derek Draper facing a very public health battle after he contracted the virus in 2020. Her documentary Finding Derek left viewers in tears as she publicly shared their devastating story which saw her husband facing up to a life in care. The show won her a NTA, and she was recently announced as the new host of Piers Morgan's Life Stories after being the subject of Morgan's last show.

6: Carol Vorderman

Despite not having a recurring TV gig in 2021, former Countdown star Carol Vorderman remains a perennial favourite with Yahoo users thanks to her top notch social media exploits (which usually feature a bikini or revealing outfit), or hosting the beloved Pride of Britain awards. She recently won praise too for her reaction to her son Cameron earning his master's degree despite being told that he was 'unteachable' due his severe dyslexia. "There's so much about education, about the brain, about how we learn that I simply did not know," she said. "Things that we, as a society, need to know."

5: Holly Willoughby

In 2021 This Morning host Holly Willoughby proved that life really does begin at 40. After reaching the milestone birthday in February, the TV personality snagged a cameo role in Midsomer Murders, injured her back live on air, and released a book — Reflections — which topped the Sunday Times bestsellers charts. She recently denied reports that she's leaving the ITV morning show, which means she's likely to remain near the top of this chart in 2022 too.

4: Katie Price

They'll never make a Katie Price biopic because a movie could never live up to the drama of her real life. In 2021 she's appeared in court — and escaped a prison sentence — for drink-driving, had a stint in rehab, been involved in an incident in her own home that required a police call out, had more cosmetic surgery in Turkey (and charged fans a fee for watching the surgery), and appeared in an acclaimed documentary about the life of her beloved son Harvey.

3: Susanna Reid

Although Good Morning Britain continues to trail behind BBC Breakfast in the morning TV ratings, the show continues to drive more conversation online than its straight-laced rival on the Beeb, thanks in part to co-host Susanna Reid. Often partnered with unwieldy anchors (more on that in a minute), Reid always keeps the show on an even keel, and fans were delighted to see her briefly reunited with Bill Turnbull following the exit of Piers Morgan.

2: Amanda Holden

After Britain's Got Talent was cancelled for 2021, incredible self-publicist Amanda Holden generated her own headlines with her personal and professional exploits. She celebrated her 50th birthday with a nude photoshoot perched atop a cake, appeared in new talent show I Can See Your Voice, got embroiled in a conspiracy theory row, fronted her own sketch show, and even found time to film a Neighbours cameo.

1: Piers Morgan

Piers Morgan wasn't just the most-searched celebrity of 2021, he was one of the most searched people of the year (only bested by his bête noires Harry & Meghan), and one of the most searched topics overall thanks — in the main — to his high profile exit from Good Morning Britain.

Morgan made headlines around the world when he stormed out of the ITV studio during a row with fellow presenter Alex Beresford after he said he didn't believe what the Duchess of Sussex said in her Oprah Winfrey interview in March. Morgan quit the ITV breakfast show not long after Ofcom launched an official investigation.

Watch Piers Morgan storm off GMB

Ofcom eventually ruled in his favour saying that Morgan, 56, was "entitled to say he disbelieved" the royal couple and that "the restriction of such views would be an unwarranted and chilling restriction of freedom of expression".

He later conceded that it was "not for me to question if [Meghan] felt suicidal", but defended his "right to be allowed to have an opinion".

Read more: The best TV shows of 2021

He's been hard to replace on GMB, and has since landed a plum role hosting a global show on Rupert Murdoch's new channel talkTV which will launch in 2022.

2021 may have marked the end of one chapter for Morgan, but the next one has the potential to be even more explosive for the former tabloid editor.