Holly Willoughby's return to hosting duties on This Morning this autumn have been talked about for months.
Will she present alone? With a regular co-host? Some, including former This Morning presenter Eamon Holmes, even questioned whether she'd come back at all.
With Holly, 42, due back on the sofa tomorrow morning, Monday, 4 September, viewers not only know the answers to those questions, but also how ITV bosses now see her, according to insiders.
In a new trailer for the channel's morning schedule, Holly is twice seen smiling for the cameras alone – and insiders reportedly say the message is that she's very much 'queen bee'.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: "'Holly is the future and ITV wanted to make that clear. It's a sure sign that she is at the helm and the other presenters will join her.
"It's a brand new start for This Morning, the scandal could have destroyed it but it has managed to keep going. There is a lot of excitement."
Holly co-presented the show with her good friend Philip Schofield for more than 13 years, but he quit ITV earlier this year after admitting to having an affair with a much younger male colleague, which he called “unwise but not illegal”.
Both the show itself and ITV have since found themselves embroiled in controversy amid claims of a "toxic environment" on This Morning, with the network now undergoing an internal investigation into this.
Although she has returned to presenting duties with a string of co-hosts, including Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary, they are noticeably absent from her side in the trailer, which also features stars from Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and Loose Women.
Alison and Dermot instead feature in their own segment of the trailer, with Alison gesturing to the cameras, while Dermot breaks out some dance moves behind her.
OK! has approached representatives for Holly for comment.
Last Friday, This Morning presenters Rochelle Humes and Andi Peters confirmed that Holly's co-host on Monday would be Alison, who has been hosting since Holly took time off for the summer holidays.
And OK! last week revealed how Lorraine Kelly has kept her distance from fellow ITV presenter Holly following the controversy surrounding Phillip Schofield.
Asked if she had given Holly any advice during this troubling time, she exclusively told us: "No, no, honestly, we are so separate.
"And I haven’t been in [at work], for, gosh, you know, that’s the first time I’ve thought about work. But no, we’re just getting on with it. Honestly, I can’t really say any more than that."
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