Our guest editor, Dr Chris Steele, shares the This Morning sofa with a team of regulars who are experts in the fields of fashion, beauty, cookery and showbiz. We meet his extensive TV family to learn a bit more about them.

It’s the long-running daytime TV show that Dr Chris has been an integral part of since it first aired in October 1988. This Morning tackles everything from how to make a lasting impression on a first date to cardiovascular health. The show entertains, informs, moves and shocks in equal measure. Here’s the team that keeps millions of viewers hooked every day…

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby
Phillip Schofield, 49
If you think Phillip Schofield has been around for ever, you’d be half right. He began presenting from The Broom Cupboard in 1985, moving to Going Live! in 1987. Kicking off his stint on This Morning in 2002 with co-presenter Fern Britton, the pair developed a charismatic relationship for their seven years on the show together.

After Fern’s much-publicised departure in March 2009, Phillip gained a new TV ‘wife’, Holly Willoughby, as well as a revamp of the show. Phillip describes himself as a ‘very lucky man’ to be working alongside Holly and, indeed, he’s come a long way from his days when his only co-presenter was Gordon the Gopher!

Health hotspot Although Phillip’s closest publicised link to medicine was his performance as Doctor Dolittle in the West End, there’s no doubt he’s a big support when it comes to his family’s health. His mother and brother both have Type 1 diabetes and Phillip is now a patron of Diabetes UK. Fronting the society’s 2010 summer prize draw, he helped raise £424,000 to improve the lives of diabetes sufferers.

Heart disease is another health issue that’s affected Phillip’s family. In 2008, his father passed away from this condition and This Morning granted him compassionate leave so he could be at his father’s bedside for his last days. In May 2009, he whisked his mum, Pat, away to Rome to take her mind off the first anniversary of his father’s death. Remembering his Dad, Phillip said: ‘If I can be half the man he was I’ll consider that an achievement.’ It’s little wonder the silver-haired ‘Scofe’ has stolen our hearts.

Holly Willoughby, 30
Phillip and Holly’s on-screen partnership started in 2006 when ITV’s Dancing On Ice took the nation by storm. Now in their second year as the Monday to Thursday faces of This Morning, Holly says she relies on Phil ‘entirely, as he knows the show inside out’. Last year, Holly jokingly called Phillip a ‘TV slut’ in reference to the many TV ‘wives’ he’s worked with – Fern Britton, Lorraine Kelly and Myleene Klass.However, Phillip’s latest TV marriage is proving to be a runaway success, as the pair recently scooped the Best Topical Magazine Programme award for their presenting skills at the 2011 National Television Awards.

Health hotspot Holly was voted Celebrity Mum of the Year in 2010 by UK parenting club Bounty.com. Co-presenter Phillip gave Holly the award in November 2010, just after she had announced she was pregnant with her second child live on air (what perfect timing!). Bounty.com spokeswoman, Faye Mingo, explained, ‘We are overjoyed that Holly has won. Holly is a great example of being a working mother and somebody having it all.’ The 30-year-old also picked up a BAFTA in 2006 in recognition of her abilities as a children’s TV presenter.

Holly’s career is going from strength to strength, from her clothing range to presenting, yet she still maintains a balance with family life. As the perfect example of a yummy, working mummy, the apparent ease with which she manages work and motherhood is perhaps her biggest feat of all. Her top tip is baby yoga and reflexology for all other mums out there.

Eammon Holmes and Ruth Langsford
Eamonn Holmes, 51
His easy manner makes him seem more like an old schoolfriend rather than a top-notch television presenter and this is down, in no small part, to Eamonn’s successful 30-year on-screen career. Launching GMTV in 1988, and holding his position there for 13 years, 2006 brought Eamonn back to the ITV morning team, this time with his now-wife, Ruth Langsford. The couple take over This Morning from Phillip and Holly every Friday for some light marital banter.
    
Health hotspot Now the birthday bell has tolled for his 50th year, Eamonn, as presenter of ITV’s The FeelGood Factor, has decided to shed a few pounds working with Diabetes UK. Eamonn has friends with Type 2 diabetes and explains that the condition ‘crept up on them because of weight problems’. He’s now a keen promoter of the charities. Though his wife might be happy to be a ‘chubby chaser’, Eamonn’s set on making small lifestyle changes. ‘They’re good for health, appearance, self-respect and confidence,’ he says.

Ruth Langsford, 51
Ruth’s career started 25 years ago with ITV in the West country, and since then she has worked with the BBC and digital channels, as presenter and guest, only to gravitate back to ITV and her hubby. ‘Although we bicker and argue, ultimately our love for each other and the bond we share is very strong,’ says Ruth, who enjoys regular ‘date nights’ with husband Eamonn to ‘keep the sparkle in the relationship’.

Health hotspot Off-screen support is crucial for the couple, as Ruth and Eamonn are both suffering the heartache of having a parent with a long-term illness. Eamonn’s mother, Josie, had a life-threatening tumour removed last year, while Ruth’s father, Dennis, continues to struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Ruth ran the 2008 Adidas charity run for the Alzheimer’s Society, and she is promoting their new initiative, Worried About Your Memory?, which encourages individuals to seek help when they notice signs of forgetfulness in family members.

The experts
Alison Hammond, 36
Since appearing on the third series of Channel 4’s Big Brother, Alison has taken our TV screens by storm. Known for her big heart, quick wit and sense of fun, few presenters get a better interview from the celebs. She can turn her hand to anything and she’s tap-danced with Rennee Zellwegger, rapped with Will Smith and jammed with Russell Crowe. Her celebrity frolics charmed the nation to such an extent that in 2008, Alison was named ‘Most Popular TV Presenter’ at the Music, Video and Screen Awards. For now though, she’s the celebrity know-it-all and bubbly babe of This Morning.

Health hotspot Though people have described Alison as larger than life in a positive way, the presenter has been open about trying to lose weight. Despite shedding three stone on Celebrity Fit Club in 2004, Alison’s sweet tooth and love of Caribbean food has meant she’s lost motivation and is fighting to get back on track. September 2010 showed her fronting This Morning’s Black Dress Boot Camp, where she and three female viewers embarked on a major health and diet programme to shed a few pounds in time for Christmas. ‘Though I laugh and joke about my weight, it’s getting serious now. I’m over 20 stone and need to get some control back,’ Alison said, in a teary session on This Morning’s sofa. Dropping two-and-a-half stone and two dress sizes, Alison looked fabulous in her little black dress at Christmas.

Gino D’Acampo, 34
Resident chef on the show, Gino regularly uses his Italian influence to cook up a gourmet frenzy in the kitchen. Perhaps his most memorable moment took place in January this year when he prepared gammon steak completely starkers! A rash promise to perform one of his cooking segments nude, if the show won a National Television Award – which it did – soon exposed Gino as Britain’s real ‘naked chef’. With comical quips from Phillip and Holly, asking whether the ‘meat’ should be smoked or plain, the saucy Italian fried up a tasty dish to his usual high standards. Despite removing even the handmade ‘willy warmer’ a viewer had sent in, the 2009 I’m A Celebrity winner concluded, ‘Well, I think that was all really rather dignified, don’t you?’

Health hotspot Amongst Gino’s collection of published cookery books is The Italian Diet (£12.99, Kyle Cathie) which explains why Italians are some of the healthiest people in the world. Gino grew up in Naples and inherited his love of cooking from his grandfather who was a head chef.

‘If I close my eyes,’ says Gino, ‘I can still see him rolling gnocchi into shapes and me helping to serve it to our huge family.’ As well as using lots of fresh, seasonal ingredients and cooking from scratch, Gino maintains that Italian food is ‘family friendly; it’s about slowing down and relaxing, taking the time to appreciate the simple flavour.’ With such a handsome face fronting his Italian food range – Bonta Italia and Gino’s Pasta – many a viewer will be quite happy to give healthy Italian cuisine a whirl.

Sharon Marshall, 39
Starting her career as a newspaper journalist, Sharon transferred her newshound skills to the dramatic world of soaps. A massive fan of everything from Emmerdale to Hollyoaks, she frequents the This Morning’s sofa to give the viewers exclusive soap news and behind-the-scenes gossip. She’s the show’s fairy godmother of soapland!

Health hotspot Sharon’s up for trying anything on the show and she helped Dr Chris demonstrate the effects of drink driving the following day by being strapped into a computer simulator. The test showed that ‘excessive thirst, tiredness, that shaky feeling and a decrease in concentration and attention’ were certainly not sensible driving conditions. Workshy is something Sharon is definitely not and, with regards to her own wellbeing, she has really put herself through the mill to lose weight. Celebrity Fit Camp 2006 and 2008’s New You Boot Camp submitted her to gruelling regimes, all in the name of fitness, and a bit of telly-entertainment for us along the way!

Denise Robertson, 66
Keeping her seat warm since the first-ever show, Denise is the resident agony aunt. During her time on This Morning, and from the columns she’s written, Denise has received over 200,000 letters detailing the problems that afflict ordinary people – and she makes time for every one of them.

Health hotspot There’s no way to describe Denise other than having a heart of gold. She’s a patron of more than 30 charities, such as Crysis, the National Council For Divorced And Separated and Youth Access. Her non-profit-making website, Dear Denise (www.deardenise.com) helps anyone with a problem. She’s been awarded an MBE, an Honorary Doctorate and Fellowship. Denise has suffered her own emotional tragedies, namely being widowed twice and losing her son, John, to cancer.

Phil Vickery, 49
Michelin-starred chef Phil Vickery is something of a national treasure. He joined This Morning 11 years ago and met his wife Fern Britton on the programme.

Health hotspot Phil’s gluten-free cookery book Seriously Good! Gluten-Free Cooking (£19.99, Kyle Cathie) was a godsend for sufferers of coeliac disease, which is an auto-immune reaction to gluten products resulting in damage to the small intestine. Phil’s famously delicious TV cakes reappeared gluten-free in the book!

Dr Chris Steele says... 'For me, working on This Morning is all about being able to help people. It's not about the fame - that really doesn't bother me at all. The beauty of my job on This Morning is being able to educate the viewers. It is a real privilege for me.'

For more health tips, recipes and celebrity gossip, visit the This Morning team at thismorning.itv.com.

Images: ITV Pictures