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Piers Morgan ratings boast after GMB replacement Sean Fletcher makes weight joke

British journalist Piers Morgan arrives for the 2019 British Academy Britannia (BAFTA) awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills on October 25, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Piers Morgan arrives for the 2019 British Academy Britannia (BAFTA) awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills in October 2019 (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

Piers Morgan responded to a joke his Good Morning Britain replacement Sean Fletcher made about his weight by boasting of his own viewing ratings.

Morgan is currently enjoying a summer break from his usual hosting duties on the ITV breakfast show, with his position being filled by a series of stand-in presenters.

Fletcher was in the GMB hot seat for the first time last week, and couldn’t miss the opportunity to make a light-hearted dig about Morgan.

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Sharing a photo on social media of himself and co-host Charlotte Hawkins, Fletcher revealed he had been forced to borrow a tie from Morgan’s wardrobe.

Alongside the tweeted picture, Fletcher wrote: “Really enjoyed working with @CharlotteHawkns and @alexberesfordTV on @gmb this week.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 12:  Sean Fletcher attends the ITV Palooza 2019 at the Royal Festival Hall on November 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Sean Fletcher attends the ITV Palooza 2019 at the Royal Festival Hall on November 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

“FYI my red tie is from @piersmorgan’s wardrobe, so it normally fits around a slightly larger neck - that’s why it kept loosening.”

The 55-year-old was quick to respond: “Shame you can’t borrow my much larger ratings too.”

Fletcher answered to point out they had managed just over a fifth of the total viewing figures.

He said: "21.3% for me and @CharlotteHawkns on Thursday’s @gmb @piersmorgan. Not a bad share with no promo/social media campaign."

Morgan responded to poke fun at Fletcher’s hair, which has grown longer during lockdown.

He tweeted: "And with that hair too!" with a winking face emoji.

Fletcher’s longer hair had already been a talking point on the show, with one viewer sending a message praising him for “normalising black hairstyles for our black sons”.

Commenting on the message, the 46-year-old said: “I’ve had my hair short ever since I’ve been on telly.

“My hair was always long but when I joined the BBC in the late Nineties and was on screen, there was something in me that made me think do you know what I need to be a bit smarter.

“I mean, I actually don’t think this is not smart – it’s just different.

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“And if people don’t think this is smart, it’s because they don’t see this hairstyle on air.

“It’s my role to put this out there and I’m going to keep growing it.”

GMB airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.