BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin has left the show after 20 years on the famous red sofa, but who is in the running to replace her?
Louise Minchin gets emotional as BBC Breakfast viewers pay tribute to her
Morning telly favorite Louise Minchin has left BBC Breakfast after 20 years on the show.
As she presented her final program with Dan Walker, 53-year-old Minchin wept.
She spoke out to the Mirror about the moment she realized she had to leave the show after undergoing an ankle operation last year.
Louise confessed she couldn’t face any more 3.40 am starts, especially in the dark mornings through winter.
She said she was now looking forward to becoming a taxi service for her kids and being able to watch Sunday night dramas, “which I’d love to be watching but haven’t been because I need to go to bed.”
After qualifying as a Great Britain Age-Group Triathlon Team member, her newfound free time means she can concentrate on her passion for endurance sport.
Louise said she has “lots of exciting adventures” about which she is planning to write a book.
It’s even rumored she may be a contestant on this year’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
Who will replace Louise on BBC Breakfast? Here’s who could be in the running…
Piers Morgan
An out-there choice for the BBC, but stranger things have happened.
Piers won Best News Presenter at this week’s TRIC Awards, so he’s more than qualified for the job.
Plus, he recently announced he has landed a new TV role that is “bigger than Good Morning Britain” – which the BBC certainly is.
He jokingly tweeted Louise’s co-host Dan Walker saying: “Stop blubbing Dan – I start Monday.
“BBC wanted the guy who beat you in the ratings, and the first same-sex male breakfast presenting team to appease the wokies.”
The details of Piers’ new job have yet to be announced, so could this be it?
Sally Nugent
Perhaps a more natural choice for the job would be Sally Nugent, a journalist and broadcaster who has been working for the BBC for 15 years.
Sally Nugent seems an obvious choice for the job
Sally has been filling in at BBC Breakfast for nearly a decade and has covered for Louise on numerous occasions in the past.
The 50-year old news presenter has been hosting the sports bulletins alongside Mike Bushell since 2012. Could it be that she is ready to leave?
Bill Turnbull
Bill sent an emotional farewell message to his former co-host Louise, bringing her to tears on her last day at BBC Breakfast.
He said: “Louise Minchin, let me tell you what those words mean to me. She was a great professional sofa partner and always smiled. Well, almost all of the time. You are an outstanding, incredible athlete. I am proud to have inspired you and let you win when we raced each other.
“But most of all I think of a warm, sunny person who will always be my friend. So from all of us who have been with you over the past 20 years, watching and working, we want to wish you the very, very best.”
Louise and Bill started at BBC Breakfast in 2001. Louise left to pursue other opportunities.
Although he is now a Classic FM presenter, could he soon return to the red sofa?
Ruth Langsford
As the longest-serving presenter on This Morning (she started in 1999), Ruth has been in the business of morning TV for over 20 years.
She regularly presents the show with her husband Eamonn Holmes, filling in for main hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
But would she want to go it alone without Eamonn – and would the 61-year-old want to swap 10am starts for 3.40am ones?
Eamonn Holmes
Speaking of Eamonn, could Ruth’s husband – who also has decades of morning TV experience – be about to jump ship to the BBC?
The 61-year-old has been waking up the nation with his dulcet Irish tones since he presented ITV’s GMTV in 1993.
He started a new job at Sky News Sunrise in 2005, after 12 years of being on the show.
Eamonn was recently able to fill in for Holly and Phil during the school holidays. Does either one really want a full time job as a breakfast TV presenter?
Charlene White
Citing Sir Trevor McDonald and Moira Stewart as inspirations, Charlene became the first black woman to present ITV News at Ten in 2014.
She still presents for ITV News and has made appearances on Loose Women, but started her career at the Beeb as a broadcast journalist for BBC Look East.
She also had her own late-night talk show on BBC London and worked for Radio 1’s Newsbeat and BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Charlene could make her BBC return now that there is a slot available for a female presenter.