Adrian Chiles' curt farewell as he and Miss Bleakley exit Daybreak with little fanfare

By Sarah Bull


Exit: Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley clutch bouquets following their final show on Daybreak


They were left humiliated earlier this month when it was announced they would be leaving failing ITV show Daybreak a month early.

And it seems there was no love lost between Christine Bleakley, Adrian Chiles and the morning programme as the duo left the series this morning with virtually no fanfare.

With just a minute to go before the end of the show, the pair bid farewell to their viewers with a short goodbye message.

From the beginning, to the end: The pair on their first Daybreak show last year, and on their farewell show today


Chiles said: 'As you may or may not know, this is our last show. As a leaving present, I'm taking my funny animal clips clipboard with me!

'We'd just like to say thanks a million to the rest of the on-air team. Dan, Kate, Dr Hilary, Sue, Cordelia, Gav, Richard, showbiz Steve, Phil, Lucy, Tasmin, all of you.'

Bleakley added: 'And especially to all of our production staff who work far harder than any of us here as well. That is just about it from us, good luck and have a great Christmas. Bye bye.'

Referring to Bleakley being signed up as the new presenter of Dancing On Ice, Chiles then added: 'I'm off to concentrate on the football and Christine's been put on ice in the New Year, in the best possible way.'


Was that it? With just a minute to go before the end of the show, Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles bid farewell to Daybreak viewers on their final programme

Still smiling: Chiles joked that he would take his 'funny animal clips' clipboard with him as Bleakley laughed


The pair's exit from the show was confirmed in November after the show had struggled to improve on the audience for its predecessor GMTV. It was widely thought that the audience failed to warm to the two hosts, who launched the show last year.

But 32-year-old Bleakley, who is engaged to Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard, said she had discovered the silver lining of being dismissed from the show, saying she is relishing the prospect of enjoying her evenings again, instead of going to bed early.

She said: 'I won't miss the 3am starts, I'm going to be honest with you. Or going to bed early either - probably that even more than getting up!

'It will be nice to let my hair down a bit more and enjoy life more now that time schedules will be different and I don't have to get up at 3am midweek. So I might start going out more midweek and enjoy my evenings again.'

Another silver lining of her departure is that Bleakley will receive a generous payout of £283,000 to help soften the blow

ITV have said that both presenters will focus on other 'peak-time commitments' on the channel.

Chiles's priority will be his role as anchor for live football coverage, FA Cup action, England internationals and the Uefa Champions League. His series That Sunday Night Show will also return for a third run next year.

Their departure will be seen as a huge embarrassment for all concerned after the pair left BBC1's One Show in the summer of last year in what was seen at the time to be a huge coup for ITV.

The pair had won plaudits for their on-screen chemistry on The One Show and it was hoped they would recreate the magic in their new roles.

The new presenters of Daybreak have yet to be announced, however Natasha Kaplinsky and Eamonn Holmes have emerged as frontrunners to take up the vacant roles.


Friends forever: Bleakley and Chiles, who appeared to be unaware he had his flies unddone, will no doubt remain friends following the Daybreak debacle


Bittersweet: After the show, Bleakley and Chiles headed to the pub for a drink with Daybreak's Kate Garraway and Dan Lobb



source:dailymail

'I’m angry, upset and acutely ­embarrassed' Adrian Chiles slams ITV for Daybreak dumping

-Says he and Bleakley were promised they would leave 'with their dignity intact'

By Paul Revoir and Andrea Magrath


It appears that this morning's headlines revealing Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley's sudden axeing from Daybreak came as just as much a surprise to the hosts as it did to everybody else.

First Bleakley, 32, wrote a sarcastic tweet, posting: 'What a lovely headline to wake up to.'

And now her co-host Chiles, 44, has angrily lashed out at their ITV bosses saying he is 'angry, upset and acutely embarrassed.'

Furious: Adrian Chiles has slammed his bosses at ITV for his sudden axeing from Daybreak


Speaking to the Sunday People newspaper, the presenter reveals that he and Bleakley were informed that their run on the breakfast show would end in the New Year but that 'we were assured we could go with our dignity intact.'

'That’s obviously not happened,' he told the paper. 'We were enjoying the show and we thought things were going well. We didn’t want to go.'

Chiles was pictured looking grim as he watched the Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers game today at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich.

'What a nice surprise': Christine Bleakley tweeted about the news this morning


'It was a bolt out of the blue and has come as a big blow to our careers that we’ve been dumped at this time,' Chiles added. 'Dark forces have leaked it for their own ends and I am mightily unhappy about it.'

His equally miffed co-host Christine wrote on her Twitter page this morning: 'Morning, what a lovely headline to wake up to. My sarcasm comes across in this tweet I hope.'

But the Northern Irish presenter, who dates Chelsea star Frank Lampard, at least knows where her next pay cheque is coming from.

She was last night confirmed to be replacing Holly Willoughby as host of Dancing on Ice.

Sour mood: Chiles looked grim as he watched the Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers game today at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich


Bleakley followed her tweet up with: 'Aside from that, thank you so much for all your Dancing on Ice good luck messages.

'Holly is a legend and she's a tough act to try and follow so feeling really nervous but incredibly excited.'

Bleakley and Chiles, who were heralded as the stars of morning TV when they defected from the BBC last year on £1million-a-year deals, are set to leave ‘within weeks’, it is understood.

Their appearance on Daybreak has failed to capture the public’s imagination.

Surpirse: It emerged this morning that Bleakley and Chiles are to leave Daybreak in a matter of weeks


The programme has struggled to get ratings beyond 700,000 viewers – fewer than its predecessor GMTV.

The move comes after the show recently appointed a new editor and as channel bosses plan for a major revamp in the new year.

It is understood that both Bleakley, 32, who is engaged to footballer Frank Lampard, and Chiles, 44, have been told of the decision. Last night ITV refused to deny the claims that the pair would be leaving the show, which had a £15million launch last September.

A senior source at the commercial broadcaster said: ‘Do we want to be running a show where we are happy being No 2? No, we don’t.’

Daybreak gets about half the number of viewers as its rival, BBC Breakfast.

Another source said: ‘They ran out of time. The advertising numbers had fallen off a cliff because Adrian and Christine were such a turn-off. In today’s climate, that was unacceptable.’

It is not known whether ITV will opt for big names or unknowns as replacement presenters.

According to the report, Chiles, who is also the broadcaster’s main presenter for its football coverage, had accepted that he had been dropped from the show.

Axed: It is understood the presenting pair have been informed of the decision they would both be leaving the show


But co-host Miss Bleakley, whose WAG lifestyle was said to have been a turn-off for viewers, is reportedly asking for it to be presented as if she is leaving for new projects.

It comes as ITV announced that Miss Bleakley would replace Holly Willoughby in co-presenting Dancing On Ice with Phillip Schofield, after the This Morning host signed up to present the BBC’s new singing talent show, The Voice.

Bleakley, seen here with footballer fiancee Frank
Lampard, will replace Holly Willoughby as presenter of Dancing On Ice in January


It is hoped a new role for Miss Bleakley will give her a chance to reinvent herself and prove she is a valuable member of ITV’s stable of talent.

ITV bosses have hired former BBC Breakfast editor David Kermode to be the show’s new editor, and it is expected other staff will lose their jobs.


No laughing matter: Daybreak only gets around half the viewers of its breakfast rival on BBC


source:dailymail

Chiles and Bleakley 'axed from Daybreak' as breakfast show is a ratings flop

By Paul Revoir


Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles joined ITV in a blaze of publicity last year on £1 million-a-year deals


Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley have been axed from ITV breakfast show Daybreak, it was reported last night.

The pair, who were heralded as the stars of morning TV when they defected from the BBC last year on £1million-a-year deals, are set to leave ‘within weeks’, it is understood.

Their appearance on Daybreak has failed to capture the public’s imagination.


The programme has struggled to get ratings beyond 700,000 viewers – fewer than its predecessor GMTV.

The move comes after the show recently appointed a new editor and as channel bosses plan for a major revamp in the new year.

It is understood that both Bleakley, 32, who is engaged to footballer Frank Lampard, and Chiles, 44, have been told of the decision. Last night ITV refused to deny the claims that the pair would be leaving the show, which had a £15million launch last September.

A senior source at the commercial broadcaster said: ‘Do we want to be running a show where we are happy being No 2? No, we don’t.’

Daybreak gets about half the number of viewers as its rival, BBC Breakfast.

Another source said: ‘They ran out of time. The advertising numbers had fallen off a cliff because Adrian and Christine were such a turn-off. In today’s climate, that was unacceptable.’

It is not known whether ITV will opt for big names or unknowns as replacement presenters.

According to the report, Chiles, who is also the broadcaster’s main presenter for its football coverage, had accepted that he had been dropped from the show.

Axed: It is understood the presenting pair have been informed of the decision they would both be leaving the show


But co-host Miss Bleakley, whose WAG lifestyle was said to have been a turn-off for viewers, is reportedly asking for it to be presented as if she is leaving for new projects.

It comes as ITV announced that Miss Bleakley would replace Holly Willoughby in co-presenting Dancing On Ice with Phillip Schofield, after the This Morning host signed up to present the BBC’s new singing talent show, The Voice.

Bleakley, seen here with footballer fiancee Frank Lampard, will replace Holly Willoughby as presenter of Dancing On Ice in January


It is hoped a new role for Miss Bleakley will give her a chance to reinvent herself and prove she is a valuable member of ITV’s stable of talent.

ITV bosses have hired former BBC Breakfast editor David Kermode to be the show’s new editor, and it is expected other staff will lose their jobs.


No laughing matter: Daybreak only gets around half the viewers of its breakfast rival on BBC


source:dailymail