Alastair Campbell has joined Good Morning Britain as a guest host, though has insisted that he is not replacing Piers Morgan.
Susanna Reid’s outspoken co-host left the show amid controversy in March after he was criticised for on-air comments about Meghan Markle.
Ofcom received more than 40,000 complaints regarding remarks Morgan made about the Duchess of Sussex following her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey – including that he “didn’t believe a word” she said about having suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior royal.
Campbell, the former spokesman for the Labour Party, will host the ITV morning show alongside Reid during Mental Health Awareness Week in May.
He tweeted photos of himself in the studio, writing: “So weird to be wearing suit and tie. Been in at @GMB checking the presenter chair and seeing if I can cope with the tech! And no I am NOT the new @piersmorgan BUT I will be presenting alongside @susannareid100 May 10-12 thru Mental Health Awareness Week.”
GMB’s Adil Ray took over to host through April, but Morgan has not been formally replaced.
Earlier this month, ITV’s television chief Kevin Lygo said he was surprised that Morgan lasted as long as he did on the show.
In Lygo’s first comments since Morgan quit, the ITV boss told Deadline: “He’s done a good innings for Piers. I’m amazed he lasted this long. Trust me, there were some other moments where I thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’”
He continued: “The last time I signed him was about a year-and-half ago, and I remember saying: ‘Well, we’ve had a great run haven’t we Piers? I can’t believe there’s ever going to be a moment where I present you with a carriage clock for long service, so let’s just keep it going for as long as we can.”
Speaking about Morgan’s replacement on the show, he added: “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… We’ll mix and match until we feel what the right thing is to do. There isn’t a single person [who can replace him].”
