Martin Frizell has announced he is stepping down as editor of ITV’s This Morning after a decade.
The husband of former GMTV presenter and journalist Fiona Phillips is leaving the broadcaster after 10 years as he expects his ‘family priorities to change’ in 2025.
Martin, whose wife Fiona revealed last summer she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022, first joined ITV in 2014 as editor for Loose Women before taking over at This Morning.
‘Next year I’m expecting my family priorities to change, so I need to free up time for them,’ he said in a statement confirming his departure.
‘I love my team at ITV and will miss them, and the thrill of live telly, but it’s an always on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment, and I won’t be able to do both.’
He will leave the show in spring 2025, and he described the past decade as a ‘privilege’.
‘It’s been a privilege to lead truly great presenters and producers, between us we’ve turned out more than 6,000 hours of live topical telly, that’s around 20,000 items, and the gongs are always nice,’ he added.
He also pointed to the campaigns This Morning has ran over the years, and described the programme as the ‘toughest test’ for anyone working in journalism.
‘I’m most proud of the change we made to so many lives, even saving a fair few with our campaigns on anti-suicide, menopause, testicular cancer and “how – to” items,’ Martin said.
‘This juggernaut is the toughest test for any broadcast journalist.”
ITV are expected to announce his replacement ‘in due course’, while the This Morning team have heaped praise on his work over the past decade.
Over the last year alone, he has overseen a major shakeup with the departures of both Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley now on the sofa.
Kevin Lygo, ITV’s managing director for media and entertainment, said: ‘This Morning is an iconic show in ITV’s schedule, and heading the team for a decade, producing more than ten hours of original, topical, live television every week is an amazing achievement.
‘As a programme and a brand, Martin has made sure the show continues to be a household name, an award-winning staple of the schedule with a growing successful presence in digital and social.
‘On behalf of the ITV Network, we thank Martin and wish him the very best for his future ventures.’
And Emma Gormley, managing director for ITV Studios Daytime, hailed the success he’s brought to the show amid ‘an evolving landscape of changing and diversifying viewing habits’.
‘I am proud of the brilliance and energy that he has brought to his role as custodian of this iconic brand,’ she added.
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