From children's author to TV presenter, Sarah Ferguson has many strings to her royal bow! The Duchess of York is set to co-host This Morning on Monday alongside presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary, it was confirmed on Sunday.
The surprise announcement comes after Cat Deeley was chosen to co-host three live shows last week following the sad departure of Holly Willoughby and the ongoing presenter upheaval triggered by co-host Phillip Schofield's highly publicised exit in May.
The Duchess of York, 64, will be taking on an exciting guest editor role during which she will oversee the live two-and-a-half-hour programme.
Monday's edition will explore topics close to the royal's heart, including the importance of defibrillators, the best way to rehome a dog and how to protect your skin. There will also be an interview with Sir Cliff Richard about his upcoming album.
Of course, Duchess Sarah is a proud dog mum to the late Queen Elizabeth II's beloved Corgis, Sandy and Muick, whom she looks after at Royal Lodge with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, so she will no doubt share her own story of pet rehoming during the segment.
© ShutterstockThe Duchess of York commented: "I have appeared on This Morning before, but this time I am coming back in a very different role.
"I love live TV and am an enormous fan of the show, and the whole team is always lovely to deal with.
"I’m looking forward to being there for the whole morning, and thrilled to be guest editing the show which will mean getting to explore some topics that I’m passionate about."
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockMeanwhile, This Morning’s editor Martin Frizell said: "We are all delighted Sarah, Duchess of York wanted to come back here and I’m very happy for her to make some of my decisions on Monday.
"She has a great understanding of the show and how television works and I feel viewers will be really interested in the running order she is putting together."
Why is the Duchess of York co-hosting This Morning?
This Morning has been at the centre of a media storm since May when long-time host Phillip left the show after admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" relationship with a younger male colleague.
© TwitterA roster of presenters has been holding down the fort ever since, including Dermot and Alison, Josie Gibson, Craig Doyle, Rylan Clark and Rochelle Humes.
And just last month, Phillip's long-term co-presenter and close confidente Holly took the difficult decision to step down from her role helming the daytime programme after 14 years.
In her statement, the mum-of-three said: "I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning. To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we've done together."
© Anthony Harvey/ShutterstockThe bombshell announcement came one week after the presenter was pulled from the show after a plot to kidnap her was unveiled.
A 36-year-old man named Gavin Plumb from Harlow, Essex was arrested following a slew of text messages in which he threatened to cause "serious harm" to the Dancing on Ice presenter.
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He was later charged at Chelmsford Magistrates Court for having "solicited, encouraged, persuaded, endeavoured to persuade, or proposed" the murder of Holly.
He is accused of encouraging someone to travel to the UK to carry out the plan and of assembling a kidnap and restraint kit.
