Piers Morgan has tried to give Alistair Campbell advice after the former Labour spin doctor landed a role on Good Morning Britain.
On Thursday, it was announced Alistair would be sitting in Piers’ old seat on the ITV breakfast show as a guest presenter next month, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
He later posted pictures of himself rehearsing in the GMB studio insisting he was “not the new Piers Morgan”, which was retweeted by the show’s official Twitter account with the caption: “Welcome to the team! We can’t wait for some fiery debates, don’t hold back.”
Piers, who left GMB in March following controversial comments he made about Meghan Markle live on air, then commented: “I’d hold back.”
Piers’ exit came after he cast doubt on Meghan’s revelation during her interview with Oprah Winfrey that she had experienced suicidal thoughts after joining the Royal Family.
Ofcom later confirmed it would be launching an investigation under its harm and offence rules after over 40,000 complaints were made – a figure that has since grown to over 57,000, making it the most complained-about incident in Ofcom history.
It was reported the Duchess also complained to both ITV and Ofcom over Piers’ remarks.
Just hours before Piers’ exit, he also made headlines when he stormed off the GMB set during a row about the Duchess with his colleague Alex Beresford – something Piers later admitted he regretted doing.
Meanwhile, Alistair has said he is “flattered to be asked” to co-host GMB, and “delighted that my stint will coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week as Good Morning Britain has always championed good mental health”.
He added: “I am also looking forward to getting stuck into the big political and social issues at such an important and difficult time for the country, as well as brushing up my knowledge on some of the subjects that will take me out of my comfort zone.
“I must admit I am slightly dreading - make that totally dreading - getting out of bed in the middle of the night to get ready to present the show. But I am really looking forward to it.”
Alistair, who was former prime minister Tony Blair’s right hand man, will sit alongside Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 May.
Since Piers’ departure from GMB, Adil Ray is one of the presenters who has been standing in, but it doesn’t sound like there’ll be a permanent replacement any time soon.
ITV boss Kevin Lygo said recently: “Piers is a special thing. You can’t replace somebody like him. There is nobody like Piers, for good or bad.
“We have a roster of presenters, including Ben [Shephard], Susanna [Reid], Charlotte [Hawkins] and Kate [Garraway].
“They’re all stepping up and doing a few more days than they would have done.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
On Thursday, it was announced Alistair would be sitting in Piers’ old seat on the ITV breakfast show as a guest presenter next month, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
He later posted pictures of himself rehearsing in the GMB studio insisting he was “not the new Piers Morgan”, which was retweeted by the show’s official Twitter account with the caption: “Welcome to the team! We can’t wait for some fiery debates, don’t hold back.”
Piers, who left GMB in March following controversial comments he made about Meghan Markle live on air, then commented: “I’d hold back.”
Piers’ exit came after he cast doubt on Meghan’s revelation during her interview with Oprah Winfrey that she had experienced suicidal thoughts after joining the Royal Family.
Ofcom later confirmed it would be launching an investigation under its harm and offence rules after over 40,000 complaints were made – a figure that has since grown to over 57,000, making it the most complained-about incident in Ofcom history.
It was reported the Duchess also complained to both ITV and Ofcom over Piers’ remarks.
Just hours before Piers’ exit, he also made headlines when he stormed off the GMB set during a row about the Duchess with his colleague Alex Beresford – something Piers later admitted he regretted doing.
Meanwhile, Alistair has said he is “flattered to be asked” to co-host GMB, and “delighted that my stint will coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week as Good Morning Britain has always championed good mental health”.
He added: “I am also looking forward to getting stuck into the big political and social issues at such an important and difficult time for the country, as well as brushing up my knowledge on some of the subjects that will take me out of my comfort zone.
“I must admit I am slightly dreading - make that totally dreading - getting out of bed in the middle of the night to get ready to present the show. But I am really looking forward to it.”
Alistair, who was former prime minister Tony Blair’s right hand man, will sit alongside Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 May.
Since Piers’ departure from GMB, Adil Ray is one of the presenters who has been standing in, but it doesn’t sound like there’ll be a permanent replacement any time soon.
ITV boss Kevin Lygo said recently: “Piers is a special thing. You can’t replace somebody like him. There is nobody like Piers, for good or bad.
“We have a roster of presenters, including Ben [Shephard], Susanna [Reid], Charlotte [Hawkins] and Kate [Garraway].
“They’re all stepping up and doing a few more days than they would have done.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
