BBC newsreader Huw Edwards held talks to replace Piers Morgan as host of Good Morning Britain, according to reports.
The veteran broadcaster, 60, spoke to ITV bosses about joining Susanna Reid on the daytime show but an offer failed to materialise.
The Times reports how Huw was allegedly keen to balance a new role on GMB with presenting major news events for the Beeb.
Since Piers Morgan quit the show in March following controversial comments he made about Meghan Markle’s Oprah Winfrey interview, GMB has employed a raft of well-known guest presenters to partner Susanna.
Richard Madeley, Martin Lewis and Alastair Campbell have all held the hotseat in past months.
While Piers recently revealed he will be returning to screens as the host of a show on brand new channel talkTV which will see him reunite with GMB director Erron Gordon.
Back in August it was reported that Welshman Huw was ready to quit the Beeb after hitting out at his bosses for revealing his £500,000-plus pay.
The newsreader, who took a pay cut lowering his £599,000-a-year salary to around £529,000, said the issue had “angered him”.
And he admitted he finds the nightly role “taxing” ahead of his 60th birthday.
Huw believed the Corporation bowed to pressure to publish salaries of anyone on more than £150,000 — and he feels the subject is personal.
He said: “It has angered me, to be honest. Not because I’m embarrassed about pay, especially because I took a huge cut years ago anyway.
“I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for me.
“But my mother and father always told me it wasn’t my business what other people were paid. It can be awkward in terms of my personal attitude. My own children didn’t know how much I was paid.”
He hinted he was thinking of leaving the job.
The dad-of-five said: “Now that a big milestone is here, 60, it’s natural to think ‘am I going to continue in this job?’. The nightly news business, after 20 years, that can be taxing.”
