This Morning's Dermot O'Leary says team 'have been through the mill' after NTAs win

This Morning star Dermot O'Leary seemed to acknowledge the show's recent struggles as it bagged a National Television Award.

The programme, which Dermot typically presents on Fridays alongside Alison Hammond, nabbed the Daytime award at the glamorous event on Wednesday (September 10), outshining Loose Women, James Martin's Saturday Morning and Scam Interceptors.

This marked the first time since 2022 that This Morning had secured the accolade.

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Dermot appeared to touch on the show's turbulent period - which saw long-standing hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby both depart - in the winners' room, reports Wales Online.

The Sun quoted him as saying: "There is a team who have worked on the show since I started who have had to endure an awful lot of s***.

"But they've turned up to work everyday with the greatest grace and professionalism and uncertainty and they have never done anything but put their heart and souls into this job. We are, genuinely as a team, in awe of them.

"Two and a half hours of live telly every day is quite something but to do it, to endure it under the spotlight of being on the front page of the news - we aren't supposed to be on the front page of the news."

He continued: "This show holds a mirror up to Britain and also tried to entertain it, so to reclaim this award is something we would never take lightly... it means an awful lot, especially to those people who have been through the mill."

This Morning endured a turbulent period in 2023, beginning with Phillip's departure.

The veteran presenter quit the programme in May that year following a controversy that resulted in him confessing to an "unwise but not illegal" relationship with a younger ITV staff member.

Just months afterwards, in October, his co-presenter Holly also departed, after security guard Gavin Plumb was charged in connection with a scheme to abduct and kill her.

He was found guilty and last year was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years behind bars.

A series of temporary presenters filled in, until it was announced that Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley would be taking charge from Monday to Thursday, with Dermot and Alison hosting on Fridays.

This Morning airs on weekdays on ITV from 10am