Helen Skelton has announced she's landed a permanent slot as the face of the BBC's Morning Live.
The magazine show which airs weekdays for 45 minutes from 9:15am to 10am, is undergoing an overhaul in the New Year and Skelton has been unveiled as a major part of said changes.
Not only has Skelton joined the roster of Morning Live presenters permanently, taking on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday slots, but the show itself is being extended.
At the moment, the BBC show lasts three-quarters of an hour but from January 2, it will be extended to a runtime of one hour and 15 minutes and start at 9:30am.
This means the Beeb's magazine show will go head to head with ITV's direct competitor This Morning - which has seen a shake-up of its own in recent months following Holly Willoughby's exit.
Skelton, who quit her Sunday slot on BBC Radio 5 earlier this year to spend more time with her children, admitted in a statement to coincide with the news that she couldn't wait to get started.
Helen Skelton is joining Morning Live permanently
BBC
She said: "I am so excited to become a more regular member of the Morning Live family, and be in such good company.
"It's really nice to be part of a programme giving so many people a voice. Everything we talk about on the show is what my friends and family are texting me about, we're right at the heart of what matters to people right now.
"We're not just highlighting problems though, we're finding solutions and I love that we're able to help in some small way.
"It's stuff you need to know but also stuff that's nice to know, and even when I'm not hosting, I'm sat at home with a cuppa taking it all in. I can't wait for January."
She'll present the show alongside the likes of fellow regulars Gethin Jones and Michelle Ackerley while contributors such as Kym Marsh, Gaby Roslin, Sara Cox, Kimberley Walsh, and Rav Wilding will also lend a hand to presenting duties.
As well as her Radio 5 gig, Skelton also bid farewell to another presenting role she had at Channel 4 where she fronted Super League rugby coverage recently.
The BBC show announced the news across its social media channels with the message: "EXCITING NEWS! From January 2nd 2024, Morning Live will be on for an extra 30 MINUTES, at a brand new start time of 9:30 to 10:45 every weekday on BBC One!
"We have heard your requests for us to be on for longer and we CANNOT wait to give you more every day!!" (sic)
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Helen Skelton is returning to screens to go head to head with This Morning
GETTY
News of Skelton return to a permanent presenting gig comes months after she emotionally quit BBC Radio 5 Live in a tearful on-air broadcast.
"I am not alright about it but needs must. The juggle is real," Skelton said to listeners as she admitted she wanted to spend weekends watching her children play sport: "There is an eight-year-old with a sideline who needs me."
As she ended her show, Helen said she "loved every minute of the past year" before she signed off: "Thank you to all the team and thank you to all of you.
"It's hard to know what to say without getting emotional!"
