After hearing that Ant McPartlin would be stepping down from TV presenting duties until 2020, speculation has been mounting over who will take over co-hosting the annual series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here alongside Dec Donnelly. Now, I’m A Celebrity Australia presenter, Julia Morris, has thrown her hat into the ring offering her services to the show!
Julia, who is a comedian, actress and TV presenter, has hosted the Australian version of the show for three years now and speaking on Good Morning Britain, when asked if she would be up for the UK job, the 50-year-old replied, "I’d take the job in a heartbeat. I am a huge fan of the show and lived in the UK for seven years, and when I came home to Australia and heard they were doing an Australian version, I went lock, stock and two very smoking barrels to get that job because it always looked like the boys were having so much fun. So I was lucky enough to land it."
Julia also revealed that she hasn't met Dec saying, "I’m not convinced we have crossed paths. But I’m a longstanding fan so I think… I’m not gonna bring what Ant brings which is a magic that just cannot be described.
The comedian went on to say, "But I would certainly bring something reasonably elderly and slightly overweight to be honest, so that could be something new and interesting on television."
Watch some clips of Julia presenting I'm a Celebrity Australia below.
See which other celebrities are possible replacements for Ant in the upcoming series...
Who will replace Ant McPartlin on I'm A Celebrity - slider
Scarlett Moffatt
Former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt is one of the favourites to replace Ant. After becoming good friends with the presenting duo, Scarlett would surely work well alongside Dec. She's also got a lot of I'm A Celebrity experience, not only did she win the show back in 2016, Scarlett landed herself a role as presenter on I'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp.
Stephen Mulhern
Stephen Mulhern is one of Ant and Dec's closest friends in the business and he's a regular face on ITV, so there is no denying he'd be great with Dec.
Caroline Flack
She's quickly becoming one of the UK's most-loved TV presenters due to her role on ITV2 show Love Island. Could Caroline Flack swap the Mallorca villa for a stint in the jungle presenting I'm A Celebrity?
Phillip Schofield
This Morning host Phillip Schofield is also one of the favourties to replace Ant for this year's series. He's no stranger to live presenting so we think he'd be a great fit.
Joel Dommett
After I'm A Celebrity viewers fell in love with his sense of humour when he appeared as a contestant on the show in 2016, Joel Dommett went and landed himself a presenting role on the spin-off show alongside Scarlett Moffatt. As his popularity rises, could he be promoted onto the main show?
Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo
2017 winner Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo has enjoyed a number of presenting gigs since last year. The Made In Chelsea star won over viewers last year with her hilarious personality, so she'd be a perfect fit alongside Dec.
Holly Willoughby
As well as Phillip, his on-screen partner Holly Willoughby's name has been thrown around the rumour mill a number of times. Holly is a close friend of both Ant and Dec and she's a massive hit with viewers, presenting shows like This Morning, Dancing On Ice and Celebrity Juice.
Dec Donnelly
Despite it not being the same without Ant, Dec could host this year's I'm A Celebrity on his own, following the amazing job he done earlier this year on Britain's Got Talent.
Julia Morris
Julia Morris has presented I'm a Celebrity Australia for three years! In a recent interview, on Good Morning Britain, the TV presenter said she would jump at the chance to present the UK version of the show.
Whilst we ponder who WILL take over the all-important role, we do know that there will definitely be a co-host for I'm A Celebrity. Despite Dec doing an amazing job hosting some episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway and the Britain's Got Talent live shows by himself, it was revealed earlier today (23rd August), by Kevin Lygo, head of studios at ITV, that the TV presenter WILL have a co-host on the upcoming series.
Earlier this month, Ant released a new statement regarding his TV presenting, confirming he will continue to take a break from all television presenting roles until 2019. The statement read, "Ant will not present ‘I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!’ in November this year. In addition Ant and Dec have made the joint decision not to present a new series of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway in Spring 2019."
I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is due to return in November without Ant.
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