Ben Shephard announces break from This Morning for secret ITV project abroad

Ben Shephard has announced he will be taking a temporary leave from This Morning, keeping the details of his absence under wraps. The former Good Morning Britain host, who has been presenting the ITV show with Cat Deeley following Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby's departure, typically hosts from Monday to Thursday.

His breaks usually align with school holidays, but this time Ben has shared that he won't appear on our screens next week. At the end of Thursday's show, he told viewers: "I'm taking a couple of weeks away to go out and work on this exciting new project for ITV. It's top secret! " The 49 year old presenter also teased that he would be travelling 'to the other side of the world' right after the programme, yet kept the specifics to himself.

When Cat suggested he might be eating 'witchetty grubs' in I'm A Celebrity bushtucker trials, Ben replied: "I can neither confirm nor deny where in the world I'm going." She further probed if he was set to meet her 'two mates', Ant and Dec, to which he maintained he couldn't 'confirm or deny' any details. Ben promised to reveal all on Monday's This Morning "live from where I am in the world".

While the celebrity has not revealed his plans, speculation is rife about who will be heading to Australia for I'm A Celebrity, which starts in just over a week. Ben and Cat took over presenting duties on This Morning after Schofield and Holly left within months of each other, reports Birmingham Live.