Ben Shephard was visibly taken aback on Wednesday’s edition of This Morning when a celebrity guest seemingly dropped a bombshell.
As the show commenced, Ben was treated to an unexpected celebration for his 50th birthday, with heartfelt tributes pouring in from his celebrity friends and colleagues.
Yet, it was star ‘s message that raised eyebrows. The 47 year old comic hinted from his dressing room at the Strictly studios: “I am sending you this message from my dressing room here at Strictly studios, a dressing room that I am told could be yours next year if you’d like it. Remember, 50, not too old… the contract’s ready!” leaving Ben momentarily speechless before he broke into a smile.
The touching video tribute also featured well-wishes from Ben’s ex-Good Morning Britain co-host Kate Garraway, as well as This Morning’s own Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, reports .
Fans flocked to Twitter to extend their birthday greetings to Ben, with tweets such as “#ThisMorning Happy birthday Ben! !”, “Happy birthday Ben #thismorning”, “Happy 50th birthday Ben #ThisMorning”, and “Happy 50th birthday Ben #thismorning,” flooding in.
Ben Shephard was left stunned on Wednesday’s This Morning as one star appeared to let slip a Strictly Come Dancing detail (Image: ITV)
This incident follows a technical glitch that saw Tuesday’s episode of This Morning abruptly taken off air, leaving viewers with an apology message on their screens during the December 10 broadcast.
During the latest episode of ITV’s hit show, viewers expecting to see hosts and Cat Deeley were greeted with a message that apologised for any disruption.
Ben Shephard was left stunned on Wednesday’s This Morning as one star appeared to let slip a Strictly Come Dancing detail (Image: ITV)
The unexpected interruption quickly became the talk of social media as one viewer posted: “ITV has been disrupted #ThisMorning”, while another simply stated: “ITV is off air.”
The technical trouble was short-lived as normal service resumed within minutes.
The incident followed criticisms being levelled at Cat Deeley for what some fans deemed “inappropriate behaviour” on-air. The internet buzzed with viewer discontent after watching Deeley frolic in a swimsuit during the live broadcast.
At the start of the show, Ben reminded Cat of a Christmas Party gag gift that co-host Josie Gibson had found for her, to which Ben declared warmly: “Here you go, I retrieved it for you.”
Cat displayed the swimwear featuring Ben’s face and initially joked about leaving it behind, but then told audiences: “I’ll pop it on later”. True to her word, she returned from the break wearing the swimsuit over her clothes.
Some audience members weren’t amused, airing their grievances on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter. A disgruntled viewer wrote: “Surely, this is inappropriate and suggestive behaviour from Cat?”