GMB viewers say ‘at last’ as show makes last-minute presenter shake-up

Good Morning Britain viewers were delighted to see Sean Fletcher behind the presenter’s desk when they tuned in on Tuesday morning. The 50-year-old usually features as a newsreader but stepped in to host the programme alongside Kate Garraway after Richard Madeley was forced to pull out. 

At the beginning of the show, Kate explained that Richard was feeling under the weather. “Now if you were expecting to see Richard Madeley here, I think Richard was expecting to be here too, but he’s feeling a bit poorly. So we’ve got lovely Sean,” Kate told viewers.

© ITV

“Yes, we wish Richard all the best,” said Sean, before revealing that he found out he was hosting the show when he woke up this morning. 

“I get up in the morning and log on to the running order at home and I see my initial by all the stories I normally have and then I saw my initial over every other story and I thought, ‘It’s a mistake, it’s a typo,'” explained Sean. 

“I had seven missed calls and realised that something was up,” he said, chuckling. 

© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

“It’s good to be here. I’ve come off the news bench, I’m on the pitch,” added the presenter. 

It’s safe to say viewers were pleased to see Sean hosting the programme and called for the star to anchor more episodes. One person penned: “Good to see @SeanFletcherTV presenting the show. Hopefully he is in the hot seat for the foreseeable future,” while another added: “Well done @GMB For giving @SeanFletcherTV a go at presenting main show… it’s about time!”

A third viewer remarked: “Great to see @SeanFletcherTV  presenting today, he should definitely have more anchor slots & works well with @kategarraway,” while another shared their well wishes to Richard: “Love @SeanFletcherTV good to see him as an anchor! Hope @richardm56 gets well soon.”

© Shutterstock

Sean’s stint on the show isn’t the only change to the presenting line-up in recent weeks. Trisha Goddard, who is best known for hosting her mid-morning chat show from 1998 to 2010, made her debut as a GMB host last week.

The broadcaster, who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in 2022, appeared on GMB as a guest just days before hosting the show and opened up about why she chose to keep her diagnosis private until earlier this year.

© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

“I was grappling with how to deal with it myself. Plus I just wanted to work and be me,” she told presenters Kate and her co-host Ed Balls. “With CNN and my colleagues there, they didn’t know that I had no hair, that I had no feeling in my legs – from the treatment, because I had chemo every week for four and a half months.”

Trisha revealed her cancer diagnosis during aninterview with HELLO! in February. “It’s not going to go away,” said the 66-year-old, who has opted for “life pro-longing care” for her cancer, for which there is treatment but no cure. “And with that knowledge comes grief, and fear. But I must keep enjoying what I have always enjoyed,” she added.