Olivia Attwood Relieved After Winning Over This Morning’s Tough Audience, Hinting at Permanent Hosting Role

Olivia Attwood said she breathed a sigh of relief after winning over This Morning’s notoriously discerning daytime audience with her hosting debut, a performance that fans quickly branded as the emergence of a new Holly Willoughby. The former Love Island contestant, 34, fronted the ITV daytime program during the summer holidays alongside Dermot O’Leary, a pairing she later said felt like a natural fit as she navigated her first big live broadcast slot.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Attwood recalled the moment she heard This Morning’s iconic theme music and stepped onto the set for the first time. “It’s really surreal,” she said of that initial rush. “What I feel like the first segment up to the first ad break was a blur. You hear that theme tune that is so iconic, you’re standing next to Dermot O’Leary, broadcasting legend, and then once you get to the first ad break and you haven’t screwed anything up, you think ‘now I can breathe! Now I can take a deep breath, now I know I’m in it, it’s fine, I know what I’m doing.’” She added that, although she had done plenty of live TV, the moment was a reminder of how nerve-wracking the live format can be, even for seasoned presenters.

Attwood acknowledged that the early segments were nerve-wracking but said the favorable reception from daytime audiences helped ease the pressure. “That was really nice! Daytime viewers, it can be a tough audience and what you want is when you announce your name on breakfast shows, you want the audience to get behind you, and I definitely feel like they did,” she said. She also noted the supportive response from the press and viewers, calling it a “big sigh of relief” for everyone involved—from production teams to the on-screen colleagues who helped make her stint a success.

Her reception has been broadly positive, and Attwood said the kiss of approval from viewers came with a new sense of possibility. She said the response reinforced what she hoped would happen: a genuine connection with a daytime audience that can be difficult to win over. “I had such a lovely reaction from the press and from viewers, it’s just a big sigh of relief, I think for everyone as well,” she said. The dynamics of the show prompted comparisons to Holly Willoughby, a label Attwood described as complementary rather than daunting, given that Willoughby left This Morning in 2023 after years at the helm. There have already been conversations about making Attwood a more permanent fixture on the program, though she cautioned that scheduling is a major factor.

“There are a few of the presenters I would love to host alongside but it was such a good fit between me and Dermot, we really enjoyed working together,” Attwood said in reflecting on her summer stint. “This Morning has expressed interest in me being more of a permanent fixture; it’s just a case of when that is. My schedule is insane and they have hosts in slot, so it’s when those slots present themselves. Hopefully we will see more of me there.”

Outside of This Morning, Attwood’s calendar has been crowded. She has been in Las Vegas filming the fourth series of Getting Filthy Rich while also presenting Bad Boyfriends, a dating show streaming on ITVX that has drawn viewers for its dramatic twists. Some moments on the program have left even Attwood feeling unsettled, underscoring how reality dating formats can oscillate between entertaining and uncomfortable for participants. “I wouldn’t want to single anyone out but there are moments that have been more uncomfortable than others, as there was last year too,” she said. “The reason the show is so fun is also why it’s powerful: it holds a candle up to behaviour that some of these guys think is normal.”

In tandem with her media work, Attwood is collaborating with Nationwide on Nationfried, a pop-up experience designed to promote the bank’s FlexStudent account while offering breakfast and money tips to students. The initiative has been described as a hybrid of a cafe and an educational outreach, aimed at Freshers Week and beyond. The NationFried concept kicked off with a London cafe takeover last week and has since rolled out to other cities, including Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow. Nationwide has teamed Attwood with social media figure Joe Baggs to amplify the campaign, which highlights FlexStudent perks such as £100 in free cash and £120 of Just Eat vouchers.

Attwood has been open about her background with money and work, noting she didn’t attend university but grew up with an “open narrative” about finances. She said she entered the workforce at 15 and believes that programs like FlexStudent can be a practical step toward financial literacy for students. “We always had quite an open narrative in my household around saving and managing money,” she said. “Accounts like the Flex Student account can really help, and I’d just try and educate yourself around money as much as you possibly can, because there is so much information out there and don’t be afraid of it. Knowledge is power when it comes to money and finances.” Her experiences, she added, have shaped how she approaches public-facing projects that blend entertainment with practical guidance, such as Nationfried.

As Attwood continues to balance multiple TV commitments with ongoing campaigns, the industry will be watching to see whether This Morning offers a longer-term role. Her team, she suggested, is weighing the scheduling complexities against the potential benefits of a broader, more regular presence on the show. The balance between entertainment and practicality—along with the pop-up campaign that foregrounds financial literacy—paints a broader picture of a personality who is as comfortable on a light morning segment as she is on a dating-show stage or a live, in-person consumer event.

Beyond the immediate TV horizon, Attwood’s public profile continues to expand through her involvement in campaigns like Nationfried, which leverage her visibility to engage younger audiences around money matters. Her openness about her own financial journey and her willingness to engage with audiences on money-saving strategies reflect a broader shift in Culture & Entertainment toward programs that pair light entertainment with real-world advice. While a permanent This Morning role remains to be fully confirmed, Attwood’s recent experiences suggest she is poised to be a continuing presence in British daytime television, with multiple projects that could intersect in the months ahead.