Richard Madeley is Absent from Good Morning Britain, Sean Fletcher Steps In as a Last-Minute Replacement
Richard Madeley was noticeably absent from his usual spot on the Good Morning Britain panel this Tuesday morning, with Sean Fletcher stepping in to cover for him. As the show began, ITV’s Kate Garraway addressed Richard’s unexpected absence, while Sean admitted he had only just found out he would be leading the program.
Kate opened the show by saying, “Good morning! Now if you were expecting to see Richard Madeley here, I think Richard Madeley was expecting to be here as well!” She continued, explaining, “He’s feeling a bit under the weather this morning, so we’ve got the wonderful Sean, which is fantastic.”
Kate then asked Sean when he realized he would be stepping in for Richard. Sean revealed that it was an extremely last-minute call, according to The Mirror. “So we wish Richard all the best. I get up in the morning and log into the running order at home. I see my initial by all the stories that you would already have. Then I saw my initial on every other story,” he explained.
Initially thinking there was a typo, Sean soon realized that he was indeed scheduled to co-host with Kate. “Suddenly I realized, I had seven missed calls and I realized that something was up,” he added, describing how the situation unfolded.
Despite the short notice, Sean was pleased to be presenting the show. He humorously compared the experience to moving from the newsbench to the pitch. Kate chimed in, “As you say, we wish Richard all the best. Hopefully, he’ll be feeling better later today.”
Before going live, ITV bosses were concerned whether Sean had brought a tie for the occasion, leading to a behind-the-scenes hiccup. Sean shared the amusing moment with viewers, saying, “Yes, they put a tie on me and it was strobing! So literally as we were reading the headlines there I’m changing my tie.”
Good Morning Britain’s audience appeared delighted with Sean’s increased presence, with many expressing their support on social media. One fan tweeted, “At last, @SeanFletcherTV is in the hot seat. Llongyfarchiadau Sean. I’ve been saying for ages to give you a chance in the main presenter’s seat.”
Another viewer remarked, “Great to see @SeanFletcherTV presenting today, he should definitely have more anchor slots and works well with @kategarraway.” A third tweet read, “Wonderful to see @SeanFletcherTV love him alongside @kategarraway now I hope they may continue.” Fans were clearly impressed with Sean’s performance, with another viewer adding, “Love @SeanFletcherTV good to see him as an anchor! Hope @richardm56 gets well soon.”