Sian Welby has shared a glimpse of her recent This Morning debut, calling it the “best week of her life”.
The 37-year-old Capital Breakfast presenter joined Dermot O'Leary as co-host of the ITV show despite enthusiastic bosses declaring her the “next Holly Willoughby”.
Sian was asked about her four-day stint by her 31-year-old colleague Roman Kemp on Wednesday as she returned to her regular radio job.
Telling listeners: “Honestly, probably the best week of my life!” I was on This Morning, I can't believe they somehow gave me the reins, along with Dermot O'Leary, the I've watched most of my life, hosting X Factor, Big Brother, he's a legend.”
“It was pretty nerve-wracking for me because you’re going into a show that everyone knows and loves and has their favorites.”
Sian Welby has shared a glimpse of her recent This Morning debut, calling it the “best week of my life”.
The 37-year-old Capital Breakfast presenter co-hosted the ITV show with Derrot O'Leary (pictured), despite enthusiastic bosses declaring her the 'next Holly Willoughby'.
However, Sian admitted there was one downside to the fast-paced show: she didn't have time for a toilet break.
“They say a swan is always merciful on the water, but paddling her legs was a bit like that, obviously I was full of adrenaline and nerves.”
“Because it's busy, you generally don't have time to go to the bathroom for a minute because it's this, this, it's like this, there's so many elements, you go from a kitchen to the sofa to a demo area , then you have callers and it's a quiet rush of adrenaline the whole time.
Meanwhile, Roman revealed he gave his pal some surprisingly honest advice as he criticized her time on the mid-morning show.
I admit: “I was sending Sian notes every day and thinking, 'That was great, that was really good, it could have been better, I'm not going to lie'.”
It comes after Web's Katie Hind wrote: Towards the end of the long, hot summer of 2009 I met Holly Willoughby in an unlikely place.
Back then, the future star of daytime television was anything but a household name. At just 28 years old, she still wore her hair in long blonde curls instead of the shorter curls she prefers today. Nor was she dressed head to toe in her now trademark designer clothes.
This more informal style perhaps explains why Holly was surprisingly candid when we met in the queue for the ladies' event at the now-defunct V music festival in Chelmsford, Essex: she revealed she “almost fainted” when it was offered to her was given the opportunity to present Britain's best-known breakfast show alongside veteran broadcaster Phillip Schofield.
Sian was asked about her four-day stint by her 31-year-old colleague Roman Kemp on Wednesday as she returned to her regular radio job
Sian admitted one downside to the fast-paced show was that she didn't have time for a toilet break
Meanwhile, Roman revealed he gave his girlfriend some surprisingly honest advice as he criticized her time on the mid-morning show (pictured together in 2023).
She also admitted that she was still “in shock” and that she “didn't see it coming.”
There's no doubt that it was a big promotion: apart from a stint on children's television where she appeared on The X-tra Factor (a spin-off of Simon Cowell's hit The X Factor) and a few series of Dancing On Ice Moderated by Schofield, she had little broadcasting experience.
Eight days after we met, Holly took her place at Schofield's side – and the rest, as they say, is history.
On Monday of this week, the memory of meeting her all those years ago came back to me as I turned on my television – and watched again.
ITV's flagship daytime show hosted new presenter Sian Welby, who carefully slipped into Holly's LK Bennett episode for the first episode of a four-day “trial” period at the helm of This Morning.
It comes after Katie Hind reported that ITV bosses were delighted with Sian and branded her the 'next Holly Willoughby' (Holly pictured on the show in 2023).
Wearing a £120 denim jumpsuit from fashion chain And Other Stories, Sian smiled from ear to ear. She humbly introduced herself – and it was almost as if Holly was back.
In her accessible Midlands accent, Sian – who looks much younger than her 37 years – told a deeply personal story about her father, who suffers from dementia, while co-host Dermot O'Leary (a big fan, I hear) looked on proudly .
On X, formerly known as Twitter, viewers called the rising star “a breath of fresh air” who “makes the show so entertaining to watch.”
And behind the scenes, ITV's upper echelons were equally thrilled – Martin Frizell, the editor of daytime television's This Morning and Svengali, was particularly thrilled.
A show insider later told me I wasn't alone and said: “Sian reminds us all of early Holly.” She was absolutely likeable and lovely. No airs.'
That makes her a huge relief for ITV bosses, who finally have something to smile about, almost four months after embattled Holly sensationally quit This Morning amid allegations of a kidnap and murder plot.
It's been a torrid year for Martin and his lower-profile boss, Emma Gormley, managing director of ITV Daytime. In March last year the show was thrown into turmoil when Holly and Phil, once best friends, spectacularly fell out.
After leaving the show in May last year, Schofield admitted he had been carrying on an “ill-advised but not illicit” affair with a male colleague decades his junior – and, worse, he had lied about it.
Finally, last October, Holly herself departed – leaving the future of This Morning in jeopardy.
Viewers said Sian was “a breath of fresh air” who “makes the show so entertaining to watch.”
Wearing a £120 denim jumpsuit from fashion chain And Other Stories, the new presenter was all smiles as she introduced herself
I'm told ITV executives had for a while hoped to lure Cat Deeley, 47, onto the sofa, but her commitments in America – she is the star of popular talent show So You Think You Can Dance – scuppered that, although some remain in the Deeley camp at ITV.
Now many at the broadcaster have come to the conclusion that it would be better to sign Sian instead and let her make the show her own.
Although ITV bosses value O'Leary as an experienced presenter for the Friday show, I understand they are hoping to sign Ben Shephard for the more coveted Monday-Thursday slot once occupied by the disgraced Schofield. If Shephard, 49, agrees, it would be like 2009 again.
When we met in that queue all those years ago, young Holly told me breathlessly: “There were so many other talented presenters in the queue, I never thought I'd have a chance!”
Probably words Sian would repeat today – as a bright future awaits her.
Listen to Capital Breakfast with Roman, Chris and Sian weekdays from 6am to 10am across the UK and on Global Player
Holly in her early days as presenter of This Morning in 2011