Sarah-Jane Mee "owes a lot" to Eamonn Holmes' double hip replacement.
Sarah-Jane Mee
The 38-year-old presenter is set to take over from the Irish host on Sky's breakfast show 'Sunrise' later this month and believes she never would have secured the role if he hadn't gone under the knife earlier this year following crippling arthritis.
She said: "I didn't quite rock up to his hospital bed with a bunch of flowers and his P45, but I do owe a lot to his titanium joints."
However, although the brunette beauty believes Eamonn's operation spurred on his decision to leave, Sarah-Jane is convinced she'll be seeing a lot more of him on screen now that he's got new joints.
She explained: "He's great, a complete professional, and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of him now he will be off doing different things."
Sarah-Jane has plenty of experience when it comes to presenting shows as she previously worked on Sky Sports but she has admitted she's nervous about taking over from Eamonn, who has fronted the programme for 12 years, as all eyes will be on her when its title is changed to 'Sunrise with Sarah-Jane Mee' this month.
She told The Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I'm not bothered about ME: It's my coffee! Where will I keep my coffee? And my notepad! I've spent years perfecting the art of scribbling down notes while looking in to the camera!"
The presenter is known for her high energy levels but she's adamant her presence on the show won't be "too horribly upbeat" as she has to start at 5:30am.
She said: "Oh don't worry, I promise not to be too horribly upbeat. Not everyone wakes up in a state of joy, myself included. People need to to be brought up to speed about the news in an informal yet informative way."
Tagged in Eamonn Holmes