Ben Shephard just isn’t fancying his cha-cha probabilities of internet hosting Strictly Come Dancing, insisting he’s merely not ‘courageous sufficient’ for the highest job in tv.
TV’s Mr Good Man dominated himself out of the race to switch Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who sensationally stop the dazzling present final yr.
Having already come below scrutiny after taking cost of This Morning alongside Cat Deeley, he prefers to waltz away from a brand new wave of public expectations and opinions.
‘Host Strictly?! Goodness me! Saturday evenings. I’ve by no means even carried out Strictly [as a contestant]’, Ben instructed Metro and different media.
“I really feel like anybody who hosts this present ought to have some perception into what it is wish to undergo the mill.”
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Motion man Ben typically places himself by means of the wringer – in 2009 he climbed Kilimanjaro for Comedian Reduction and his new sequence The Summit will set pulses racing – however Strictly is simply too tall of a job.
‘I’ve by no means been courageous sufficient to do it. I climbed the mountain [Kilimanjaro]. I’d do The Summit. However I am not courageous sufficient to tackle Strictly,” he mentioned.
Rumor has it that Beeb bosses are contemplating Alan Carr and Amanda Holden, and Alex Jones and Rylan Clark, who beforehand introduced the spin-off It Takes Two, for the candy spot of primetime.
In fact, 51-year-old Ben is aware of all too effectively how demanding and divisive it may be to go up a well-liked flagship format.
In 2024, he and Cat had been referred to as as much as completely exchange the scandal-hit Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning.
Because the pair took the helm of ITV’s each day staple, viewing figures fell precipitously, with some questioning the recruitment.
‘[You] type of take it in your stride, actually. We love doing the work that we’re privileged to do and perceive that there’s a lot of possession of the present… due to the viewers who make it work,” Ben mentioned.
‘I welcome it. I take pleasure in doing what we do and ensuring we ship a present that viewers need to take pleasure in and watch, and likewise that a part of it is not one thing I take into consideration very a lot.”
The daddy-of-two, who shares sons Sam and Jack with longtime spouse Annie, realized to shake off the preliminary criticism.
“I simply should get house and notice I’ve three a great deal of laundry and my teenage sons have to scrub up afterward,” Ben mentioned.
“There are bits of it that I can interact with… that I can take heed to and course of, issues that I discover attention-grabbing or helpful, after which neglect concerning the issues that are not.”
![From Shine TV. The Summit Sr1, episode 1, on ITV1 and ITVX. Pictured: Joel, Colleen, Sean, Charlett, Tyra, Thomas, Warren, Ben Shephard, Patrick, Jenny, Miranda, Dockers, Afton, Tara, Drew. This photograph is from (C) Shine TV and may be reproduced for editorial purposes only, directly in connection with the program or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photo may not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a way that alters the visual appearance of the person photographed that is considered harmful or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph may not be published in any other company, publication or website, or archived permanently, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. The full Terms and Conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms. For more information, please contact: liberty.warner@itv.com](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SEI_282894665-a10f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
An uphill battle awaits (actually) in his newest venture The Summit, which begins on ITV subsequent week.
Fourteen strangers face the daunting problem of climbing a mountain in New Zealand’s rugged Alps and probably profitable a £200,000 prize.
Count on twists, turns and treacherous terrain as members are additionally tasked with taking out fellow rivals alongside the best way.
The lineup contains Warren Furman, aka Ace from the unique Gladiators, and Afton McKeith, daughter of well being guru and I am a Superstar… Get Me Out of Right here! icon Gillian McKeith, and an ex of Brooklyn Beckham.
‘The bodily problem can’t be underestimated. None of those folks had ever climbed a mountain,” Ben says.
Are you watching The Summit?
“By the point you get to the snowline, they’re in crampons with ice axes, climbing up glaciers, tied collectively in case somebody falls. It was breathtaking what they needed to do.”
And Ben’s thoughts is already buzzing with potentialities about who from his ITV household he would forged in a star model.
“I might throw Joel Dommett in there in a heartbeat. He could be incredible. Cat would like it. She’s actually wild, she’s acquired younger boys, so she likes tenting I suppose,” he mentioned.
‘[Kate] Garraway could be horrible. She would not even be capable to discover her approach out of the airport to get to the lodge at first. She could be completely hopeless, however good tv.
‘Dermot [O’Leary] could be good, and Alison [Hammond] would encourage anybody. She danced all the best way up.”
The Summit premieres on Tuesday, February 10 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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