RISING STAR: 'Go out in your bargain outfit and be the funny one'

After her stint on This Morning, Sian Welby is tipped for the top as her sunny personality and humour wins viewers' hearts

- SHELLEY SPADONI

Blonde, bubbly and quick-witted, Sian Welby may not yet be a household name – but it’s only a matter of time. After stepping in as a guest host on This Morning following Holly Willoughby’s departure, when she settles down to talk to OK! about her recent four-day stint on the ITV1 show, we realise there’s so much more going on in her busy life.

As we chat, it’s clear that Nottingham-born Sian, 37, who also hosts a radio show on Capital with Roman Kemp, is still a little stunned – both that she’s presented one of the UK’s biggest TV programmes, and that her debut went down so well.

“It was the biggest week of my career. Like an out-of-body experience. I can’t quite believe it,” she says. “There were lots of nerves – it’s so fast-moving – and you don’t want to offend anybody, or swear! But at the same time, I tried to be as natural and off-the-cuff as I am on radio.”

And it helped that with her experienced co-host Dermot O’Leary, she felt she was “in good hands”. “He gives older brother energy – he took me under his wing and didn’t pile on any pressure, or take over. He just said, ‘Sian, it’s a mammoth show – take it segment by segment.’”