This Morning’s Ben and Cat slam feud rumours as ITV show continues to struggle

Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley have shut down speculation that they are ‘feuding’ behind-the-scenes on This Morning after taking over from Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby

This Morning presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley have responded to rumours that they have fallen out behind-the-scenes on the ITV daytime show.

There has been speculation that the pair have been feuding since becoming the permanent replacements for Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, who both quit the show within weeks of each other, with Ben and Cat starting together in March.

Since then though, their relationship on-screen has been difficult at time with viewers speculating as to whether they actually get on but with the pairing set to return to screens on September 2, Cat and Ben have looked to shut down the rumours and have both praised each other.

Ben and Cat have sparked feud rumours ( Image: ITV)

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday, Ben said of co-star Cat: “We are so similar; the same things make us laugh. She’s quick, witty and smart and loves a bit of slapstick. I can’t get my head around how easy she is. She’s the first to laugh and take the mickey out of herself, which is a hugely important qua

Unfortunately for Cat and Ben, the change in presenters has seen a slump in ratings with viewership dropping from over 1.5 million viewers to just 486,000 tuning in recently. This has coincided with the show’s rival on the BBC, Morning Live, has seen its figures jump from 1 million to 1.4 million.

The pairing have also been snubbed by the National Television Awards (NTAs) with them being left out of the Best Presenters category, with the nominations including Alison Hammond, Ant and Dec, Bradley Walsh, Claudia Winkleman and Stacey Solomon. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have famously won the award for the last 22 years.

Speaking about speculation about their relationship on This Morning, Ben said: “I can’t tell you how unaffected Cat is by the scrutiny, she doesn’t look at any of it. I’ll send her the headlines of the day, the ones about me telling her to shut up or fleeing out of the studio.”

Ben added: “We’ve never talked about it. And the way This Morning is consumed is across a massive platform.” Cat also pointed out: “How many eyeballs are on your social media, for example? It’s something like four million people.”

Ben said that they have “struck really lucky” with their pairing and Cat added: “All I know is it’s a pleasure to work with this chap here.”