ITV chief: 'You can't replace somebody like Piers Morgan'

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 1h

ITV head Kevin Lygo speaks warmly about Piers Morgan following his abrupt departure from Good Morning Britain.

ITV director of television Kevin Kygo has spoken warmly about Piers Morgan following his abrupt departure from Good Morning Britain last month.

The 56-year-old quit the breakfast show amid mounting pressure following his fierce criticism of Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Markle complained directly to ITV about Morgan's comments, in which he said he did not believe most of her allegations against the Royal Family - and as a result he decided to leave the show rather than issue an apology to her.

Asked about the saga in an interview with Deadline, Lygo said: "Piers is a special thing. You can't replace somebody like him. There is nobody like Piers, for good or bad.

"We have a roster of presenters, including Ben [Shephard], Susanna [Reid], Charlotte [Hawkins], and Kate [Garraway]. They're all stepping up and doing a few more days than they would have done... We'll mix and match until we feel what the right thing is to do. There isn't a single person [who can replace him]."

He continued: "Half the world wanted Piers dead and half the world wanted a statue erected in his favour. You need to tread a diplomatic line.

"Piers felt he was doing the right thing, felt very strongly about it, and we just felt it wasn't quite compatible with some of the things we're involved with. It was an amicable split."

In recent weeks GMB's ratings have plunged by almost 50% since Morgan's departure from the programme.