Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield receive daytime award despite recent criticism; star-studded ceremony at London’s OVO Wembley Arena.
The National Television Awards saw This Morning win the Daytime award, a victory that was celebrated by hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. The awards ceremony, which took place at London’s OVO Wembley Arena, was hosted by Joel Dommett. Despite recent backlash regarding claims that Schofield and Willoughby skipped the queue to pay respects to the late Queen Elizabeth during her lying-in-state, the duo remained gracious in their acceptance speech.
Schofield expressed heartfelt thanks to the viewers, stating, “This means so much to us every year, especially this year.” He went on to praise his co-host, “I have the best friend, and we have the best team.” Willoughby also shared her gratitude, saying, “This award means everything because it’s voted by you, and This Morning has a very special relationship with our viewers. You truly make our show.”
The ITV morning programme triumphed over competitors such as Loose Women, The Chase, and The Repair Shop to win the prestigious prize.
Alison Hammond, a fellow This Morning presenter, expressed her surprise at not winning the TV Presenter award, which went to Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly for the 21st consecutive year. Hammond joked, “I ain’t going to lie, but we all know I should have won one of these as well.”
In other categories, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! won the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, while Kate Garraway secured the Authored Documentary prize for the second year in a row for her moving documentary about her husband’s battle with the long-term effects of Covid-19.
The evening also saw a special recognition award presented to Sir Lenny Henry for his groundbreaking contributions to UK television, and Peaky Blinders won the Returning Drama award, with creator Steven Knight confirming a spin-off movie in the works.
The event was filled with star power, with musical performances by Sam Ryder and Lewis Capaldi, and a heartfelt tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth.
