Fern Britton discusses changes at This Morning since Phillip Schofield exit

Former This Morning presenter Fern Britton has said she does not feel she can comment on recent events at the ITV show but added that the new presenting line-up of Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley is a “new era”.

Celebrity Big Brother contestant Britton, who presented This Morning with Phillip Schofield for eight years before leaving in 2009, said she might have to leave the reality show if her former co-star joined the house as a surprise contestant.

Schofield left This Morning after more than two decades last year, before admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague.

During Wednesday’s episode of Celebrity Big Brother, housemate Gary Goldsmith asked Britton her thoughts on the changes at This Morning.

She replied: “I haven’t been there for 15 years. I got off the train and it’s way over the horizon now so I honestly don’t know.

“I can’t say anything. Anything I would say would be supposition.”

She admitted it was “tricky at times” to work on the ITV chat show, adding it is an institution which “rocks but it gets back together again”.

“I think Ben and Cat are going to do a really good job. I think it’s a new era,” Britton said of the duo who were announced as new permanent hosts in February.

Goldsmith said there were rumours that Schofield was coming into the Celebrity Big Brother house, to which Britton replied: “Well that didn’t happen yet.

“Maybe he’s coming in as a surprise? I might have to leave at that point.”

During the Celebrity Big Brother spin-off Late & Live, it was also revealed that one of Britton nominations for eviction was Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu.

Explaining her reasons, Britton said: “She’s a couple of times suggested that I could fit into one of her bikinis and get into the hot tub.

“There’s no way I’m going to do that. But she says to me two or three times, saying, ‘We’re going do it and I’m going to make you over and I can put you in different clothes’, and it scares me.

“I don’t want to do any of it. And I’m not going to do any of it.”

Former X Factor judge Louis Walsh nominated actor Bradley Riches, best known for playing James McEwan in LGBT+ drama Heartstopper.

He said: “I know he will go far. He is talented and he’s a nice guy. But he hasn’t lived his life as much as the others. He hasn’t been through as much. And all the other people have got different stories.”

Celebrity Big Brother continues on Thursday at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.