This Morning stars Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard have confirmed their break from the ITV show.

At the end of Thursday’s (December 11) live broadcast, the duo disclosed that they won’t be returning to screens until Christmas Eve.

“Alison and Dermot are back tomorrow and chaos will ensue because the Grinch is here,” Cat announced.

Ben continued: “Also, John Torode’s going to be in the kitchen with a tiramisu roulade,” whilst Cat revealed: “And find out what happened when Alison met Kylie.”

Ben then offered a temporary goodbye to ITV audiences, declaring: “It’s going to be a cracking show. See you on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for more festive fun,” reports Wales Online.

It remains unclear who will be stepping in for Ben and Cat during the following week’s episodes.

In a festive milestone this year, Loose Women will be joining Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and This Morning as part of ITV Daytime’s Christmas Day programming on ITV1 and ITVX.

Audiences can celebrate the holiday with GMB on December 25th, before tuning in to Lorraine Kelly as she presents a Christmas special. Cat, Ben, Alison and Dermot will maintain the seasonal spirit with touching moments and A-list stars on This Morning, alongside some emergency advice for Christmas dinner catastrophes.

The Loose Women team will then conclude the morning’s entertainment with various surprises, famous faces and holiday merriment.

Meanwhile, on today’s This Morning, Ben marked his 51st birthday, with co-presenter Cat announcing the milestone at the programme’s opening.

“It’s a very, very special day today, because it’s this young man’s birthday. Happy birthday to you!” Cat declared.

She then said: “Ah I see, now you’ve done the 50 thing, you’re just going to fade off from here,” to which Ben responded: “Well, 50 seems exciting and a new decade. 51 does feel really old, [I just] want it to slow down a bit.”

Cat playfully added: “Like you’re just hurtling towards old age,” with Ben retorting: “I know! I’m nearly a pensioner.”

Later on, the duo had a chat with Celebs Go Dating star Tom Read Wilson, fresh from his runner-up finish in this year’s I’m A Celebrity.

But that wasn’t all, as they also interviewed Martin Compston, who discussed his new Paramount+ thriller The Revenge Club, and dropped some hints about the eagerly awaited return of Line of Duty.