Philip Schofield's replacement for British Soap Awards announced

Philip Schofield's replacement as host at the British Soap Awards has been confirmed.

Singer and presenter Jane MacDonald will now step in as host of the awards which take place at The Lowry in Salford on Saturday night.

Jane, 60, is best known for her TV series Cruising With Jane and has released 10 studio albums.

Schofield, 61, resigned from the broadcaster on Friday and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

Schofield had previously confirmed he would host the awards when he explosively left This Morning on May 20 - however stepped down from the ceremony, his last public commitment, when he quit.

Sharing the news, Jane wrote on Instagram: "I'm so excited to be this years host for The British Soap Awards!!

"Everyone knows how much I LOVE my soaps, this year I’ve been honoured to be mentioned in Corrie, EastEnders and Emmerdale so this is just a dream come true.

"I can’t wait to see all our wonderful soap nominees and celebrate all their hard work with them - roll on the awards, I can’t wait! The British Soap Awards - watch this Tuesday, 8pm."

On Wednesday, ITV instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts following his departure from This Morning and subsequent press statements, according to a letter from chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall.

The letter was sent to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, in the wake of Schofield’s departure from ITV last week.

Schofield, 61, was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to the “unwise but not