Tess and Vernon IN HOLLY OUT

TV expert Sarah-Louise Robertson on why the married couple have the power to save This Morning

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Stories about Holly Willoughby being dined and wooed by the BBC have led to mounting speculation that she is being lined up to take Tess Daly’s Strictly Come Dancing job.

But why these fears for Tess’ TV future? And should it not be the other way around?

Granted, Holly might prove a fresh face for attracting younger viewers and, of course, she would also bring a legion of new fans with her from her years of co-hosting Dancing on Ice.

Despite all that, it should be Holly looking over her shoulder – not Tess. If Holly is the golden egg of TV, then Tess is the golden goose – and we know how that idiom goes.

Tess looks fantastic – but, more importantly, she has more than paid her light-entertainment TV dues by carrying the BBC’s flagship Saturdaynight show since its inception,.

With her husband, Vernon Kay, she can provide ITV with the perfect on-screen replacement after Phillip Schofield left the famous sofa in disgrace – a real-life husband-and wife team full of natural chemistry, which is an established formula that has had historical success.