Alison Hammond confirms Holly Willoughby This Morning return
This Morning presenter Alison Hammond, 48, admitted her colleague Ella Bates’s decision to leave the ITV show has left her and the team feeling “absolutely devastated”.
Paying tribute to Ella in view of her 1.3 million followers, Alison wrote on Instagram: “I am absolutely devastated that Ella Bates is leaving. She has been a breath of fresh air every single day.”
Alison also shared a photo alongside Ella from the Coronation Street set, which the This Morning team visited ahead of King Charles III’s Coronation earlier this month.
The pair could be seen cuddling on the This Morning sofa, which had been relocated to a spot in front of the Cobbles’ famous Rovers Return Inn.
Ella has worked as a digital producer on the programme for several years, but recently decided to move on to explore other opportunities.
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Alison’s co-star Josie Gibson also joined the host in sharing her heartache over Ella’s departure.
Josie, who presents segments on the show, wrote on social media: “The day we all got caught in the rain at @coronationstreet while filming @thismorning and then the sunshine came out. When I say sunshine I mean @ella.bates beautiful face.
“Ella I am so so sad to see you leave us. You lighten up any room with your magical energy.
“You are Golden my friend and your going places with that special energy of yours.(sic)
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“I know you’re going to live out your dreams but we are going to miss you so very much.”
Ella’s exit from the ITV show comes during a tough period for the show, as it has been plagued with rumours that its lead stars, Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, have had a falling out.
In a statement to The Sun addressing their friendship, Phil referred to Holly as his “rock”, while saying that both of them had been going through a “tough” time.
Reports of a fallout came after a source alleged to MailOnline that Holly was upset Phillip hadn’t told her about his brother Timothy’s recent court case.
A source subsequently claimed to The Sun that amid the reported tensions between the duo, Phillip’s time is nearly up on the show, but also claimed Holly’s job will be safe.
Express.co.uk has contacted Phillip Schofield’s and Holly Willoughby’s representatives for comment.
Dermot O’Leary, who presents the show on Friday with Alison, is the current frontrunner to step into Phillip’s shoes if he does leave This Morning.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
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