Who will replace Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain? Viewers have their say

Good Morning Britain viewers have revealed who they want to replace Piers Morgan permanently on the breakfast show.

Good Morning Britain viewers have had their say on who should permanently replace outspoken presenter Piers Morgan after he quit live on air yesterday.

Piers, who among his many controversial comments, said he "didn't believe a word" Meghan Markle had told Winfrey about her mental health while she was a working royal having reached out to the Firm, had more than 40,000 complaints lodged with Ofcom.

And it's understood that the duchess was among those who made a formal complaint after Piers' dismissal of her description of her deteriorating mental health. It is also believed the duchess’s complaint was not about what he said about her but about concerns about the impact his comments on mental health would have on others.

Piers stormed off the GMB set on Tuesday after weather forecaster Alex Beresford criticised him on live TV for refusing to believe Meghan. Alex suggested that Piers' hostility was motivated by the fact that “you’ve got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle or had one and she cut you off.”

Who will take over from Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain?

Piers Morgan has been on the show for six years and while his permanent replacement has not yet been announced by ITV, fellow presenter Ranvir Singh, was sat in Piers' seat today (Wednesday 10th March) but it was clarified that she had always been due to appear. Ranvir told viewers, "I was here anyway, yes. Don't read anything into this. Yes, I have shifted seats on this brand new desk."

She added, "And I am glad to be here to be able to go through the programme with you today."

Fans, meanwhile, took to Twitter to suggested Ranvir's dress - which was similar to the Armani gown worn by Meghan for the Oprah interview - was a hidden message of solidarity with the Duchess.

And others have taken to the social media site to give their views on who should permanently replace Piers - with the likes of Ben Shepherd and Richard Madeley trending. One fan wrote, '@GMB can we have Richard Madeley as a permanent @piersmorgan replacement please' another put, 'Dear God...I don't talk to you often... but please, please, please let Piers Morgan's replacement on GMB be Richard Madeley.' 

Ben Shephard's name has been added to the mix. One viewer previously begged, '@GMB please please please keep Ben Shepherd @benshephard as permanent replacement for Piers Morgan. He is so much better and starts my day with a smile not a migraine!'

Meanwhile, another viewer suggested Alex be promoted, 'Hands up all those who would like to see Alex Beresford (weatherman who ripped Piers Morgan) be the replacement for the now quit Morgan.'

What did Piers Morgan say on Good Morning Britain?

Piers came under fire from viewers and co-host Alex Beresford after comments he made about Meghan Markle's claims in the Oprah Winfrey interview that she was left feeling suicidal by the pressure but was urged not to seek help as it would ‘look bad’ on the Royal family. As well as claiming someone in the royal family had concerns over 'how dark' Archie's skin would be.

Discussing the moment on Good Morning Britain earlier this week, Piers said he ‘didn’t believe’ Meghan and said, "Who did you go to? What did she say to you? I’m sorry but I don’t believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. ‘I wouldn’t believe her if she read me a weather report. The fact that she’s fired this onslaught our Royal Family is contemptible."

But co-host Susanna Reid said Meghan’s revelation that she was on the verge of taking her own life is very concerning. She said, "A lot of people will feel extremely concerned about that."

If you missed the moment Piers hit back at Meghan you can watch it below.

What has Piers Morgan said since?

Since Piers stormed off the GMB set on Tuesday morning, he has broken his social media silence to defend his comments. He posted a quoted image of Sir Winston Churchill which read, 'Some people's idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.'

And he posted a comment beside it which clarified his views on his outburst and he stands by his comments. It read, 'On Monday, I said I didn’t believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I’ve had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don’t. If you did, that’s OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I’m off to spend more time with my opinions.'

It's no secret Piers has been obsessed with viewer ratings since he joined the show for a brief stint back in April 2015 before landing a full-time position on the show - determined to beat the BBC breakfast team and he has since posted an update on the latest viewing figures for GMB, which he uploaded with the caption, 'BREAKING NEWS: Good Morning Britain beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings for the first time yesterday. My work is done.' 

Piers Morgan has since launched his own TV show, Uncensored.