Ruth Langsford was unaware she and Eamonn Holmes were being ‘dropped from This Morning’

Ruth Langsford was unaware she and Eamonn Holmes were being dropped from their This Morning slot on Friday, and had recently brushed off axe rumours.

Reports have claimed the ‘furious and upset’ presenters, both 60, will now be replaced by the show’s first black host, Alison Hammond, and Dermot O’Leary, with some fans vowing to boycott the ITV hit, while others praised bosses for giving the series a ‘youth injection’.

In an interview just last week, broadcaster Ruth admitted she wasn’t given a heads-up about losing her position with her husband, but suggested she wasn’t concerned about a potential shake-up after their 14-year stint. 

Ruth told new! magazine: ‘There’s always talk, I don’t know. Not that anybody’s told me. I think I am very good at what I do, and as long as they want me I’ll be there.

‘I’ve been doing it a very long time and it seems we’ve been very popular, so I presume all those things will be taken into consideration.’ 

Some fans took to Twitter to share their frustration about the news as they penned: ‘@thismorning How could you drop Eamonn and Ruth I love them so much They are the only two I look forward to seeing I shall not watch anymore.

‘Really going to miss Eamonn and Ruth on This Morning and being able to tell which days they’ve absolutely killed each other in the car to work.

”There’s always talk, I don’t know’: In an interview just last week, broadcaster Ruth, 60, admitted she wasn’t given a heads-up about losing her position with her husband, also 60

In with the new: Reports have claimed the ‘furious and upset’ presenters will now be replaced by the show’s first black host, Alison Hammond, and Dermot O’Leary (pictured in the summer)

‘@EamonnAnd I only watch This morning when Eamonn & Ruth are presenting #saveeamonnandruth.

‘I only watch on Fridays because they’re on. Eamonn is so funny and Ruth is lovely. I,love the banter between them. 

‘I only watch ruth and Eamonn on this morning won’t be watching it if there not on.’ (sic)

Others expressed their delight at the show being fronted by former Big Brother star Alison, 45, and her new sidekick Dermot, 47. 

‘Really going to miss them’: Some fans took to Twitter to share their frustration about the news 

They tweeted: ‘The show needed a youth injection, Alison and Dermot are energetic, fun, they have great chemistry! I think it’s been needed for a long time now, I’m excited about the change!

‘PRAISE THE LORD! Soooo excited for Alison and Dermot!!!… I love Alison and Dermot. This is great. She deserves!

‘So excited that Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond are now the new presenters of @thismorning.

‘this morning could consist only of alison, dermot, gok wan and gino d’acampo and i would be very happy…. There’s upgrades and then there’a UPGRADES, I’m so here for Alison and Dermot!!!’

‘Praise The Lord!’ Others expressed their delight at the show being fronted by former Big Brother star Alison, 45, and her new sidekick Dermot, 47

News of the show’s longtime reporter Alison presenting alongside the X Factor host comes after the programme’s editor Martin Frizell was said to want to diversify the show by adding a permanent black presenter. 

MailOnline has contacted representatives for ITV, Ruth, Eamonn, Alison and Dermot for further comment. 

Eamonn and Ruth have presented every Friday on the show since 2006, and, the couple will now reportedly take over from Holly Willoughy and Phillip Schofield to present the show during the six week summer period. 

The insider told The Mirror of the decision: ‘It’s time for a change and they are perfect. Eamonn is pretty furious and everyone feels for him and Ruth, they are well liked on the team, but sometimes tough decisions have to be made.’

Shake-up: Eamonn and Ruth have presented every Friday on the show since 2006, and, the couple will now take over from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield for the summer period

Alison and Dermot have previously worked together on the show, presenting it as a duo whilst Ruth, Eamonn, Holly and Phil were away during the summer holidays. 

Alison, who rose to fame on the third season of Big Brother, is a staunch favourite of fans and has been a part of the show for many years as a roving reporter, and she made her presenting debut this summer.

The mother-of-one has hosted the show alongside Dermot and also with Rochelle Humes, and she has previously been hailed as a fantastic presenter by viewers. 

Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday revealed the programme’s editor was seeking to change the line-up to include a permanent black presenter. 

Part of the family: Fun host Alison, who rose to fame on the third season of Big Brother, is a staunch favourite of fans and has been a part of the show for many years as a roving reporter

Great duo: The former Big Brother star previously stepped in to host the show alongside Rochelle Humes (pictured in August), and the pair were hailed as a fantastic presenter by fans 

In a video conference call with staff in July, the programme’s editor Martin said: ‘There is not a black presenter on any of the programmes today.

‘We plan to change that, we [This Morning] are looking into it.’ This Morning has never had a main black presenter since it launched 32 years ago.

Frizell admitted that finding a black candidate ‘won’t be easy’ and while there was no suggestion that either Holly or Phillip were leaving, there was speculation that the move could have brought an end to their 11-year partnership on This Morning.  

Hosts with the most: Amid calls for the ITV show to hire permanent non-white stars to present the show, ex-Saturdays singer Rochelle also presented with Ore Oduba (L) during the summer

Comeback: Ore previously stood in for Phil in November 2016 and March 2017 (pictured)

An ITV source said at the time: ‘It’s a tough one for Martin. He appeared to really mean what he said so it will be difficult to simply give the presenter the once-a-week Friday slot because he would leave himself open to claims of tokenism.’ 

Another show insider said: ‘Kudos to Frizell for being the first ITV boss to pledge to make this happen. What we are all wondering now is, ‘Will anyone go and, if so, who?’ ‘ 

In October 2019, The Mail on Sunday revealed that the channel had failed to feature a single non-white main host on its entire daytime schedule, although some supporting presenters were from ethnic minorities.

Back again: Rochelle has regularly stood in for Holly in the past, presenting with the likes of Mark Wright and Davina McCall over the years (Rochelle and Davina pictured in August 2019)

In July, Good Morning Britain presenter Andi Peters interrupted his segment on the show to make an emotional plea to viewers about Black Lives Matter. 

The show stalwart took a break from announcing a competition in his home garage to urge fans to continue discussing the movement and insisted he needed to make the plea as ‘one of the only black people on the show’. 

He said: ‘I just want to say something as I can, as one of the only black people on this show, it is so important that we all keep talking. It really is. People meet me in the street and ask me how I feel about it.

Representation matters: Andi Peters took over Lorraine (pictured) for two weeks this summer, after sharing a plea about Black Lives Matter as ‘one of the only black people on [GMB]’

Great news: In a video conference with staff this year, the programme’s editor Martin Frizell said: ‘There is not a black presenter on any of the programmes today. We plan to change that’

‘We’ve all started this conversation and one of the best things about Good Morning Britain is that we talk about it – we’re not brushing it under the rug, we’re not tip-toeing around, we are talking about it.

‘Every day on this programme we are talking about it and it’s really important that we do. Every black kid watching right now – you could do this job.

‘Anyway, let me tell you about this prize… Sorry, I felt that I needed to say it. I shouldn’t apologise, I mustn’t apologise – I just wanted to say it.’ 

Andi went on to take the helm from Lorraine Kelly on her eponymous show for two weeks, with Christine Lampard stepping in for the rest of the summer. 

Thoughts: Frizell admitted finding a black candidate ‘won’t be easy’, as a source claimed he was worried about being ‘open to claims of tokenism’ if a black presenter only hosted Fridays

Time for change: In October 2019, it was revealed that the channel had failed to feature a single non-white main host on its entire daytime schedule (Rochelle and Ore pictured in July)

In December last year, Phillip was accused of creating a ‘toxic atmosphere’ for his This Morning co-stars, with allegations of ongoing spats with Holly and stand-in hosts Ruth and Eamonn. 

It was claimed eight different ITV presenters had broken their silence regarding Phillip’s attitude, while Ruth was thought to have made a formal complaint to ITV’s new head of daytime TV Emma Gormley. 

It followed an incident in April which saw Phillip interrupt Ruth while she was presenting a preview of Loose Women during This Morning.

Feud: In December last year, Phillip was accused of creating a ‘toxic atmosphere’ for his This Morning co-stars, with allegations of ongoing spats with Ruth and Eamonn

A report stated the situation behind the scenes at This Morning had become ‘toxic’ in recent months, with employees too scared to speak out publicly for fear of backlash. 

An ITV source told The Sun: ‘For so long people have been silenced because they are scared for their job. If they speak out publicly about the atmosphere they fear there could be repercussions.’   

The Mail On Sunday revealed relations between Phillip, Ruth, 59, and Eamonn, 60, are said to be so bad that the couple snubbed the show’s Christmas party to avoid him.

 Claims: It was claimed eight different ITV presenters had broken their silence regarding Phillip’s attitude, while Ruth (pictured in 2019) was thought to have made a formal complaint

The Friday presenters were surprisingly absent from the no-expense-spared dinner at a West London restaurant where 23 of their colleagues enjoyed a four-course meal and champagne.

Hitting back at the reports, a spokesperson for ITV said: ‘It’s deeply disappointing and unfair for Phillip to be the target of this sort of malicious gossip. 

‘Phillip is a much respected broadcaster and colleague and this is absolutely not a description of This Morning that we recognise.

Missing: Holly shared a snap form the This Morning Christmas party on Instagram last at the time of the alleged feud with regular Friday hosts Ruth and Eamonn noticeably absent

Comfort: In the new autobiography, the media personality praises Eamonn and Ruth for publicly comforting him when he made he came out as gay(pictured)

‘Holly and Phil are great friends both on and off screen and are popular among viewers and colleagues alike.’  

Phil also slammed the rumours as he discussed the ‘lovely team’ during the Dancing On Ice launch.

The TV star said: ‘Can you imagine a feud between us ever happening? It’s not as if we have to defend anything.

‘It’s a shame… we are so open on the show, we are so open online and we go on holiday together. Holly is the sister I never had, we think at the same speed. It’s so organic… it’s a shame.

‘Everyone who knows us, I mean, everyone at This Morning was like, “What the hell?” The atmosphere in our studio is so wonderful, there’s such a lovely team. Everyone is lovely.’ 

In the new autobiography, the media personality praises Eamonn and Ruth for publicly comforting him when he made he came out as gay as he says: ‘I went in to see Eamon and Ruth, who made me cry with their hugs and support.’ 

This isn’t the first time Phillip’s alleged feuds have hit the headlines, but Amanda Holden is the only star to have spoken publicly about it.

Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda said she believes the TV favourite sabotaged her chances of filling in on This Morning in 2018 while Holly Willoughby hosted I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.

Reports have long been rife about troubles between the TV hosts, with the latest detail of the story claiming Amanda headed to the top by lobbying ITV executives over the animosity after Phil allegedly pushed for Rochelle to take the job.  

Amanda first worked with Phillip when she stepped into Holly’s shoes when the This Morning star took a year off the show to have her third baby four years ago in October 2014.

Feuding: This isn’t the first time Phillip’s alleged feuds have hit the headlines, but Amanda Holden is the only star to have spoken publicly about it

A former daytime TV executive told the publication: ‘Phillip actively campaigned for Rochelle to get the job despite Amanda being more experienced – and having been told privately she’d got the gig.’

An ITV spokesperson said: ‘Presenter line ups on This Morning change regularly and final decisions on these line ups are made by producers and not the presenters. 

‘Phillip Schofield is a much loved broadcaster and part of the ITV family. He is a consummate professional and held in high regard at ITV.

Far from pals: Reports have long been rife about troubles between the pair, and Amanda said she believed Phil sabotaged her chances of filling in on This Morning in 2018 (pictured in 2015)

‘Amanda is also held in high regard as a judge on one of our biggest shows.’    

The Sun claimed Amanda confronted Phillip during an advert break when the judge was interviewed by Phil and Holly on This Morning in October, days after Rochelle was confirmed to be stepping in.   

A source told The Sun: ‘She made it clear that she felt very let down. He was lost for words but didn’t have much time to respond to Amanda’s claims because the show was going back on air.

‘Neither of them realised that Amanda could be overheard by most of the team because she was still wearing her mic pack.’ 

‘Easier to manage’: It was claimed Amanda headed to the top by lobbying ITV executives over the animosity after Phil allegedly pushed for Rochelle to take the job (pictured in 2018)