BEN Shephard has announced he’s taking a break from his usual presenting duties on This Morning.
The 49-year-old made the revelation on Thursday’s episode of This Morning, with even his co-host Cat Deeley appearing surprised by the news.
Cat, 48, appeared to suggest Ben would be heading Down Under to cover I’m a Celebrity and asked if he’d be seeing her “two mates” – referring to jungle hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.
But Ben insisted he could “neither confirm or deny” it and all would be revealed on Monday, adding that he would see Cat in two weeks.
I’m a Celeb kicks off next Sunday with an incredible line-up of stars, including Tulisa, Maura Higgins and Sun columnist and Loose Women star Jane Moore.
Ben was also caught up in an awkward moment on Thursday’s show.
He was forced to step in when former politician Nadine Dorries repeatedly plugged a pharmaceutical business on air.
Ben intervened when Nadine, 67, namedropped her favoured supplier in a conversation about copycat weight loss drugs.
After she named the company repeatedly, Ben quipped: “Let’s not mention them again.”
Nadine responded: “Oh sorry! I’m not paid by them I just though they were great.”
Ben and Cat were announced as the new full-time This Morning hosts in February and made their debut a month later.
They took over from Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who left the show within a year of each other.
