Why was Richard Madeley not on GMB this morning? Where Good Morning Britain presenter was today

Good Morning Britain fans were left baffled this morning when, upon tuning into the programme, host Richard Madeley was nowhere to be seen.

As Ed Balls took over presenting duties alongside Susanna Reid, there was no mention of Madeley’s absence.

This is what you need to know.

Where is Richard Madeley?

Reaching out the fans through social media over the weekend, Madeley said that he would be back on Good Morning Britain next Monday.

On Instagram he wrote: “Re GMB - back Monday week and then in for a nice long spell. (Well nice for me - I enjoy the gig). Bon Dimanche from my weekend away in the beautiful Cotswolds. Those honey-coloured cottages! Stunning…”

On Saturday (29 January), Madeley posted a video of himself informing fans about the current status of his Agony Uncle feature with the Telegraph.

In the video,  Madeley said: “Afternoon everybody. I hope you’re having a nice weekend. A few of you reached out this morning to ask basically, “Where’s the agony gone, Rich?”, by which you mean my Agony Uncle page in the Saturday Telegraph.

“It’s normally on the back page of the Saturday section. It’s an interview with Raymond Blanc this morning… That’s because… I’ve not been fired - that would be agony for me.

“That’s because they shifted it to a magazine. So now you can find my Agony column - I’m only telling you if you’re interested and if you’ve been asking - on the back two pages of the Telegraph magazine.

“That’s where the Agony Uncle now resides - hopefully for a reasonable while longer. Anyway, have a good Saturday and Sunday and talk to you soon.”

Who took over his spot?

Susanna Reid appeared on Good Morning Britain alongside Strictly Come Dancing star and former MP Ed Balls, who is a regular guest host that appears on the show.

Fans of the show took to Twitter to express their disappointment over Madeley’s absence.

One person wrote: “@GMB Where is Richard Madeley? I thought he was going to be a permanent presenter after Xmas?”

Another tweeted: “If Richard Madeley is the new GMB presenter, where is he? Is he ill? I’m so bored with GMB that I can’t bear to watch it… Ed Balls watches like dry toast #GMB.”

At the beginning of November last year, it was reported that Madeley was set to replace Piers Morgan as a full time presenter on Good Morning Britain, following his stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

A source told the Sun: “Richard has always maintained that he would never do GMB full time, as he loves his life as it is.

“But as the weeks have gone by, and he’s proven a constant hit with viewers, he’s really got into his stride and has been enjoying it more and more.

“He polls really well with fans and ratings have steadily on the rise again over the past six months. After a couple of meetings with ITV bosses, he was offered a staff contract. And after consulting with his family, especially wife Judy, he decided “sod it” - and to go for it.

“I’m A Celebrity will effectively be the perfect launch pad to start the new gig, and he’s a brilliant addition to the GMB squad.”

A source reportedly added that ITV did not want Madeley to be billed as Morgan’s “official” replacement.

They said: “They don’t want any big fuss or major announcement so as not to heap too much pressure on either Richard or Piers.

“Obviously Piers is utterly unique and no one could like-for-like fill his size 12 shoes.

“Officially they are still casting around for another potential full-time team member — hopefully another star name — so as to give the show a fresh new feel in 2022.

“After a few rocky months since Piers’ unceremonious departure, it’s an exciting time for GMB.”

A message from the editor: Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.