Jane McDonald will replace Phillip Schofield as the host of the British Soap Awards this weekend.
The former This Morning presenter stepped down from hosting the ceremony when he quit ITV, amid widespread backlash over an extramarital affair with a younger colleague.
Instead, singer and travel presenter McDonald is set to take Schofield’s place at The Lowry in Salford Quays on Saturday, to honour the best in soap.
Schofield, 61, previously said he would host the awards when he left This Morning on May 20, after more than two decades of presenting.
However, he stepped down from the ceremony when he quit ITV on May 26.
McDonald, 60, is best known for her TV series Cruising With Jane McDonald, as well as her long stint on Loose Women.
The situation surrounding Schofield had threatened to overshadow the soap awards, as the scandal continues to dominate the headlines.
The veteran broadcaster’s relationship with his younger ITV colleague took place before he publicly came out as gay on This Morning in 2020.
Holly Willoughby said her former co-host lied to her about his affair with a much younger colleague.
Following Schofield’s resignation, a number of media figures and former employees of the show including Eamonn Holmes and Dr Ranj Singh have made allegations in regards to This Morning.
Holmes, who said he was “tossed out the door” when he was given the boot from the ITV show, told GB News on Monday that Schofield “created an atmosphere” on This Morning “where people hated him”.
The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Singh, wrote on Twitter that he raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” two years ago when he worked on the show and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
He did not reference Schofield and was making the allegations against the programme.
In an Instagram post, Schofield hit back at his critics, but did not name them, saying there was “no toxicity” on This Morning.
On Wednesday, ITV instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts following his departure from This Morning and subsequent press statements, according to a letter from chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall.
The letter was sent to culture secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes.
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