Bright morning as Fern lands £500,000 deal

Fern Britton has been given a £500,000 one-year deal to continue presenting ITV's This Morning after halting its decline.

The 44-year-old presenter took over last year after former hosts Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan left for Channel 4, leaving dwindling audiences and a programme in crisis.

Miss Britton, a mother-of-four, has been rewarded for her part in the reversal of the show's fortunes with a doubling of her pay packet.

Miss Britton was six months pregnant when she took over and had said she would not take over from Richard and Judy, whom she used to stand in for. But after ratings tumbled Granada persuaded her to return.

She was tempted back by a £250,000 salary for a three-day week, which allowed her to spend time with her husband, TV chef Phil Vickery, and their children.

Her return to the programme last November saw audiences leap by 250,000 to around a million viewers.