Richard Madeley CONFIRMED as Piers Morgan’s GMB replacement – with star landing bumper £300,000 deal
RICHARD Madeley is to replace Piers Morgan as a full-time presenter on Good Morning Britain.
The star, 65, who will appear with Susanna Reid is finalising an estimated £300,000-a-year deal.
Richard will officially start after appearing on I’m A Celeb.
Piers, 56, is joining talkTV and The Sun.
Richard agreed to be a full-time host of Good Morning Britain following a heart-to-heart with wife Judy Finnigan.
Insiders said his guest stints on the ITV show are proving a hit and helped convince him to take the full-time gig.
He officially starts after his highly anticipated appearance on this year’s I’m A Celebrity.
A source said: “Richard has always maintained he would never do GMB full-time, as he loves his life as it is.
“But as the weeks have gone by, and he’s proven a constant hit with viewers, he’s really got into his stride and has been enjoying it more and more.
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“He polls really well with fans and ratings have steadily been on the rise again over the past six months. After a couple of meetings with ITV bosses, he was offered a staff contract. And after consulting with his family, especially wife Judy, he decided ‘sod it’ — and to go for it.
“I’m A Celebrity will effectively be the perfect launch pad to start the new gig, and he’s a brilliant addition to the GMB squad.”
Richard’s off-the-cuff quips have made him a cult figure online, with several clips going viral.
He is currently negotiating how many days a week he will present, but is expected to do two to three weekly.
He is not expected to get paid as much as Susanna, 50, who does four days and has been a mainstay of the show since 2014.
It is also understood ITV bosses do not want Richard — who famously co-hosted This Morning with Judy from 1988 until 2001 — to be billed as Piers’ “official” replacement.
A source explained: “They don’t want any big fuss or major announcement so as not to heap too much pressure on either Richard or Piers.
“Obviously Piers is utterly unique and no one could like-for-like fill his size 12 shoes.
“Officially they are still casting around for another potential full-time team member — hopefully another star name — so as to give the show a fresh new feel in 2022.
“After a few rocky months since Piers’ unceremonious departure, it’s an exciting time for GMB.”
Piers left in March after refusing to apologise to Meghan Markle for comments he made on air.
He will join talkTV in the New Year and write a weekly column for The Sun.
On the day he stormed off set, GMB overtook rival BBC Breakfast in the ratings for the first time.
Within three months, they had fallen by almost half but have since steadily climbed.
An ITV insider added: “A couple of brand new faces will also be popping in over the coming months.”
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An ITV spokeswoman said: “GMB is performing well with its established family of presenters and a rotation of guest presenters. There are no current plans to change this format.”
Richard declined to comment.
Rise and rise of Rich
RICHARD started his career in local newspapers before moving to BBC Radio Carlisle.
He made his move to ITV in the early 1980s to host the weekly rugby league show RL Action, and it was there he met wife Judy Finnigan.
His big break, along with Judy’s, came in 1988 when the couple presented This Morning.
After quitting in 2001, they went to Channel 4 to host the eponymous Richard & Judy.
He is known for his cringeworthy Alan Partridge-style comments.
He once said to actress Keira Knightley: “Can we get Keira looking like a crack whore?
“She’d make a good crack whore.”
On another occasion he asked a psychiatric patient: “When did you realise you were quite clearly mad?”
He once embarrassed Judy by reminding her of the time she had thrush, and told the nation how he used to “douse my balls in icy water before intercourse” when the couple were trying to conceive.
And he once told ex-US President Bill Clinton: “I was accused of shoplifting. But unlike you, I knew I was innocent.”