Hannah Waddingham backed to host This Morning

Actress new addition at 4/1 to replace Holly Willoughby.

Hannah Waddingham is a new addition to William Hill’s market to become the next permanent This Morning host.

The actress, well known for her roles in Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones and this year’s Marks and Spencer Christmas advert, is 4/1 to replace Holly Willoughby as one of the main presenters on the ITV show.

These odds places Waddingham third in the running according to the bookmaker, with Alison Hammond favourite to clinch the position at 6/5 and Storm Huntley second at 2/1.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps:

“Hannah Waddingham is a surprise new addition to our market for who will replace Holly Willoughby as the next permanent This Morning host. Having recently become the face of Marks and Spencer’s Christmas advert, coupled with her natural charisma, Waddingham would make a good candidate to replace Willoughby and is 4/1 to be awarded the role. Those odds earn Waddingham a spot in the top three for the likeliest candidates to assume the vacancy, with only Alison Hammond (6/5) and Storm Huntley (2/1) ahead of her in the betting.”

Lady Ballaston in Tom Jones, played by Hannah Waddingham

This Morning – riddled with controversies over the past two years – is beaten by BBC One in the ratings and viewers have been very vocal on social media with this displeasure of the show overseen by Martin Frizzell. Incidents have included ‘queue jumping’ at Queen Elizabeth II’s laying in state, Phillip Schofield having to quit due to his affair with a young male employee and ‘insensitive’ quiz prizes. A report into the alleged ‘toxic’ environment at ITV Daytime is now overdue, with no clear sign when it will be released.

TV Critic Vivian Summers:

“You need someone with gravitas to host This Morning, you can’t have two laughing imbeciles at the helm, because that is fine when you’re talking about lemon meringue pie, but when it comes to a serious new story, there has to be someone who can have authority. Let’s remember Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan were journalists.”

William Hill – TV/Specials – This Morning Presenter Special.