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Andi Peters has praised ITV for 'getting more black faces on television' ahead of his two-week stint presenting Lorraine.
Lorraine Kelly announced she was handing over the reins of her TV show to Good Morning Britain presenter to Andi last month so she could take some time off for the summer.
Andi, who will be at the helm of the show, for two weeks from Monday August 10th to 21st, told how he welcomes a "change of tradition" by ITV bosses.
He said: "It’s great they have asked me to do it. I’m chuffed. It’s a real break from tradition and it's a great statement from the channel about getting more black faces on television in lead roles as opposed to support roles, which is really important and we mustn’t shy away from that fact.
"I love Lorraine, I’ve known her for ten years, I’m on her show every day and it’s great to be part of that family. So, sitting in for her is an honour, Lorraine is an institution."
Andi also discussed how he coped with being diagnosed with shingles at the start of the year and how he coped with the condition during the pandemic.
He said: "My 2020 has been ridiculous, it started with shingles for two weeks. The team were very supportive, even Piers [Morgan] was worried. I was lucky, I had it quite bad but not as bad as some people, who have no nerve endings for months.
"I was very worried that after that, my immune system would be really, really low and I would be more susceptible to coronavirus. Plus, we now know, being black and a man, you are more susceptible to it and you are a lot more at risk if you do catch it. "
Andi, who often travels the world, also told how he has found it "weird" being home so much during lockdown.
He said: "My last flight was March 10th when I came back from Chicago. But it’s quite interesting to do something different. I’m not having to pack all the time! Not going to the gym for so long has been hard, that's been the most bizarre thing but I’ve adopted going on long walks. I started doing 10k walks every day. I love cooking. I have a three-course lunch and dinner, why not? So I have fallen back in love with cooking and making my evening meal a little event, putting it on Instagram."
Andi had been presenting Good Morning Britain's competition segment live from his shed since March, and returned to the studio last month.
He started his presenting career for Children's BBC in 1989- filming from a tiny control desk, dubbed the Broom Cupboard.
Andy thinks filming during the pandemic has been reminiscent of his Broom Cupboard days.
He said: "Presenting from my garage, what’s been brilliant, it reminds people of the broom cupboard! It has this wonderfully nostalgic feel to it but in 2020. People just want something familiar. Me in a confined space, I spent three years doing that on BBC1. The space I have is genuinely bigger than the broom cupboard!"
The presenter turned 50 this summer and thinks reaching the milestone has taught him that he has to turn things down every so often.
He added: "I think we are all realising that now. Every so often, I have to say ‘no’. I think that’s really important. But I want to be 50 and for people not to even realise it, to go, ‘What, you’re 50?’ Most people go, ‘Are you 60?’.