TV darling Stacey Solomon was on display chatting about her visitor function on Britain’s Got Talent final week when the interview took an surprising flip.
“You’ve not been wearing your ring and there might be some issues going on . . . ”, it was instructed to the bubbly 36-year-old mum of 5.
It was a sudden, harsh line of questioning made all of the extra surprising by the actual fact it got here from mild-mannered Mr Nice Guy Ben Shephard on ITV’s daytime present, This Morning.
But it appears wincing bosses weren’t overly shocked, as The Sun can reveal the presenter’s behaviour was already underneath scrutiny.
An insider mentioned: “It’s This Morning, not Newsnight. Over the final six months, Ben has began to randomly take questioning down a far tougher line.
“Very usually, editors have agreed with key friends to keep away from private subjects and maintain chat work-related.
“That’s how the show continues to book great guests the viewers want to watch. But Ben has started to throw in a controversial, newsy question or two, and it’s left PRs nervous about placing their clients on the show.”
For Stacey, it was her virtually four-year marriage to Joe Swash that Ben referred to as into query.
The couple have been tormented by rumours that their relationship is in trouble and followers lately noticed that Stacey — who hosts BBC decluttering present Sort Your Life Out — had not been carrying her marriage ceremony ring.
The This Morning interview started innocently sufficient, with some niceties about Stacey joining the BGT judging panel whereas auditions had been being filmed in October.
‘Mend relationships’
She stood in for Simon Cowell, who was compelled to take a break following a tumble down stairs that left him with concussion.
But Ben boldly ventured on to the topic of the star’s private life. First, he revealed, “Joe posted such a lovely Mother’s Day post for you,” to which Stacey replied, “Did he? Oh, I didn’t see it!”
With co-host Cat Deeley staying quiet, Ben pressed on: “It was just gorgeous. It was talking about how special you are and how you’ve got this incredible family and you’re just doing an amazing job.”
Stacey laughed as she replied: “Aw, he’s so funny, Joe”.
Ben then advised her: “The two of you, we love watching you share so much. There’s all these crazy rumours going on about the two of you at the moment, Stace.”
With an arched eyebrow, Stacey requested: “What are they? Go on then. There’s a new rumour each week.”
Determined Ben answered: “You’ve not been wearing your ring, and there might be some issues going on . . . ”, to which Stacey light-heartedly responded: “Have I not been wearing my ring? I probably took it off to go to the toilet or something.”
Undeterred, Ben gave a nod to her hubby Joe’s plans for a fishing lake at their £1.3million Tudor-style pad, Pickle Cottage, in Essex. He added: “There’s a lot going on at the moment, though, because of course his lake, there’s a plan for the lake.”
Witty Stacey hit again: “It’s actually filling up, maybe I dropped my ring in the lake.” Ben then quipped: “It might be in the bottom of the lake somewhere,” with Stacey replying: “With our marriage.”
The change didn’t go unnoticed by viewers. But it was apparently only one incident amongst many the place Ben had gone “off brief”.
An insider mentioned: “I feel Ben desires to be seen as a hard-hitting interviewer, however This Morning is supposed to be constructive and fluffy and a protected area for expertise. It’s p***ing PRs and brokers off. With Stacey, for instance, BGT is an ITV present, so the channel’s daytime chat present must be the most secure of areas.
“It’s causing internal headaches and it’s awkward for bookers when he goes off-piste and they’re left consoling talent and PRs, trying to mend relationships for the future.”
While that may be true, the flip facet is that Ben’s grit usually delivers the angles that create speaking factors and standout moments. He is normally asking the questions viewers themselves need answered.
I feel Ben desires to be seen as a hard-hitting interviewer, however This Morning is supposed to be constructive and fluffy and a protected area for expertise. It’s p***ing PRs and brokers off
Insider
The insider added: “Ben is extremely valued at ITV and excellent at his job. In phrases of journalism, he’s merely pushing for the perfect angle and sometimes delivers. For that, he can’t be knocked. But it’s created stress.
“There has to be a balance between keeping guests happy so they come back and getting juicy angles to keep viewers happy.”
Essex-born Ben went to highschool in Chigwell earlier than learning a level in Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts on the University of Birmingham.
His first job in telly was as a runner at a neighborhood weather community, earlier than a producer inspired him to grow to be a presenter.
He received his break in entrance of the cameras on Channel 4 spin-off The Bigger Breakfast within the late Nineties.
Ben then landed a spot on teen Saturday present T4, which additionally helped launch the careers of stars-in-waiting Vernon Kay and June Sarpong. But it was becoming a member of GMTV in 2000 as an leisure presenter that set his stall firmly in ITV’s daytime camp.
And given his ardour for a showbiz story, he couldn’t let a chance go him by when Princess and Junior Andre appeared on This Morning final month to speak about sequence two of her actuality present, The Princess Diaries.
It got here shortly after their mum Katie Price’s shock Dubai wedding to self-declared millionaire Lee Andrews.
Awkward second
I’m advised by a crew insider that the subject was strictly off-limits, however Ben pressed on and requested if they’d met their mum’s new husband.
Careful Princess, 18, replied: “I’ve not met him.”
Junior, 20, then mentioned as Princess nodded alongside: “Our mum is her own person, she’s her own woman, she’s going to do what she’s going to do and, at the end of the day, we’re supportive of her as long as she’s happy.”
Princess added: “If she’s happy, we’re happy.”
Ben additionally lately delved into private issues with one other ITV darling, Olivia Attwood, who was on This Morning this month selling her actuality cooking present The Heat whereas reeling from the breakdown of her marriage.
She is divorcing footballer Bradley Dack after a “breach of trust” on his facet.
Ben put to her: “It’s been a really busy start to the year for you Liv, professionally and personally, how are you doing?”
She admitted that “her feet haven’t touched the ground” and mentioned she was grateful to have the ability to throw herself into work. The star then referenced shifting into an residence, at which level Ben mentioned: “Loads of what you do is exploring people’s private lives?
“And there’s a lot of scrutiny comes with that. So suddenly, when we go through something personally, it’s hard to navigate.”
She agreed, however added: “I’m very open, but I have to do it when I’m ready and I know what I’m wanting to share.”
The distinction right here was that Olivia and Ben are mates off display, so I’m advised she felt a bit extra snug opening up. However, it isn’t simply celebrities being bamboozled by Ben.
One awkward second this month noticed him bizarrely contradict a finance expert employed to conduct a viewer valuation phase.
Changing dynamic
Pawnbroker Dan Hatfield was giving a caller recommendation about his Star Wars memorabilia, however movie fan Ben was satisfied one thing was amiss.
As a picture of a determine from Return Of The Jedi flashed up, Ben insisted: “Return Of The Jedi was the third film and that [points at screen] is from the first film?”
The skilled appeared surprised because the studio fell into a clumsy silence. Dan muttered, “OK”, earlier than the caller clarified the determine’s origin, confirming Dan was appropriate.
Ben tried to snort it off as Cat likened him to TV detective Angela Lansbury, who performed Jessica Fletcher in Eighties crime drama Murder, She Wrote.
There needs to be a steadiness between retaining friends blissful so they arrive again and getting juicy angles to maintain viewers blissful
Insider
In March 2024, Ben joined This Morning amid a lot fanfare as he and Cat Deeley changed Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
For ten years, he had been a part of Good Morning Britain’s panel, the place he had interviewed everybody from politicians and campaigners by way of to soap stars.
He has hosted ITV exhibits throughout the board, together with current big-budget journey sequence The Summit, through which 14 strangers climbed a New Zealand mountain, dealing with treacherous terrain and challenges for share of a £200,000 prize pot.
A channel supply mentioned: “Everybody loves Ben and enjoys working with him. Countless celebrities feel the same way.”
But speak of his current efforts to rival Jeremy Paxman seems to be altering the dynamic for some.
A PR supply mentioned: “We’d by no means cease inserting expertise on This Morning due to it, and so they nonetheless love chatting with Ben and Cat.
“But we are actually briefing very tightly about what completely can’t be mentioned.
“Once upon a time, that sort of conversation wasn’t needed.”
An ITV spokesperson final night time mentioned: “This isn’t something we recognise on This Morning. Ben is very popular with guests and viewers alike and receives lots of positive feedback.”
