Veteran broadcaster Richard Madeley has said that he was pre-booked to step in for Piers Morgan before he dramatically departed Good Morning Britain Richard, 65, was sat alongside Charlotte Hawkins during today’s instalment of the breakfast programme.
It comes following a string of stand-in anchors have stepped into the shoes of Piers, who sensationally left GMB in March following a blistering attack against Meghan Markle.
The 56-year-old walked away from the programme after he sensationally blasted the Duchess of Sussex, just hours after her controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey aired.
During the interview, Meghan, 39, claimed that she suffered from suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior member of The Royal Family.
Following her claims, Piers stated he wouldn’t trust the former actress if she was reading a weather report.
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Now, Richard has let it slip that Piers had pre-planned part of his exit from the programme.
Launching the programme alongside Charlotte, Richard said: “I was meant to come back in April and May because Piers was meant to be going to America.”
He continued: “So I would have been sitting alongside you quite a lot then, but all that went west and here I am.”
However, it is not clear as to whether Richard was referencing April and March of this year, or 2020.
A spokesperson for Piers Morgan exclusively confirmed to Express.co.uk that Richard had been booked as holiday cover for Mr Morgan
Piers’ scathing attack against Meghan saw broadcasting watchdog Ofcom hit with 57,000 complaints, with the Duchess reportedly filing her own complaint to ITV bosses.
Just 24 hours after the tense episode that saw Piers walk out of the ITV studio, he alongside ITV announced that he would be leaving the show with immediate effect.
However, the former Britain’s Got Talent judge recently stated that ITV sources have approached him, with the intentions of returning to the breakfast show.
Piers told The Sun that there had been “approaches” before adding: “I have no doubt I could take the ratings back to where I left them – but the doubt is, would anyone be allowed to do it that way again? I was hired to give very strong, honestly held opinions, which I did.”
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He also admitted that his old pal Simon Cowell may be playing a part in Piers’ return to screens.
“I saw Simon Cowell recently, and of course he got me my first big break in America,” Piers said.
Last month, the dad-of-four teased social media fans, claiming he had also “put a call into ITV” in the hopes of reinstating his role.
After jetting to Scotland, Piers took to the photo-sharing site to thank British Airways and their crew, both on the ground and in the air for their service, after he arrived at the airport later than scheduled.
Sharing a cheeky snap to his 1.7 million followers, Piers was seen putting his thumbs up while wearing a face-covering on the flight.
He penned alongside his image: “Thanks so much to the three delightful ladies from @british_airways at Edinburgh Airport who let us on our flight home when we turned up late… On strict condition that I return immediately to Good Morning Britain… Ps, I’ve put a call into ITV…”
Fans instantly flocked to the comment section, demanding that Piers returns to his role on the programme.
“Fair play – We all need you back on GMB ASAP! Come on Piers, you have had a long holiday now. Get back to work,”(sic) one social fan remarked.
