I am not sure if PS picked HW, but she was an unusual choice for such a homely programme, she was in her late 20s I believe, and completely different to what she had done prior to that.
If he did choose her, her youth and lack of influence for the much older PS would have been right up his street after the much more worldly wise Fern. She would have been more malleable and in the early days, do as she was told. I think I read somewhere that he got in with the then editor on This Morning, and by the time Fern realised that PS was wielding a lot of influence because he had the ear of the editor, it was too late. Same too with Amanda Holden. Try pushing her around (or Ruth, bet she is fuming now after being put on the spot on Fri), no let’s get the nice but dim Rochelle. Brucey Bonus, she shares the same manager as me, my daughter no less, said Phil. And he’s gay but it looked better to have lots of younger tv wife’s, kind of not so much as you are only as young as the woman you feel, but the woman you present a daily show with. Gave him reflective youthful glow, which now he is looking wizened (almost like a Kenneth Williams figure because of the gaunt shoulders and legs) is too much of a juxtaposition against the 20 years younger HW.