Entertainment

Meet the Hot British Weatherman Who Stood Up to Piers Morgan

Alex Beresford challenged Morgan on his bigotry and misogyny, giving a platform to discussions of race on UK TV.
Alex Zaragoza
Brooklyn, US
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Credit: ITV

Piers Morgan, the British television presenter notorious for espousing racist, misogynistic, and other hateful ideologies, recently walked off the set of Good Morning Britain after his co-host Alex Beresford criticized Morgan on-air for his attacks on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry following their groundbreaking interview with Oprah Winfrey. The following day Morgan announced he was leaving the show.

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"I understand that you don't like Meghan Markle,” said Beresford, a weatherman. “You've made it so clear a number of times on this program… And I understand you've got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle, or had one, and she cut you off," alluding to claims Morgan made in the past that Markle "ghosted" him, seemingly the root of his ire towards the duchess. "She's entitled to cut you off if she wants to. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don't think she has, but yet you continue to trash her." 

Beresford, who is mixed race, called Morgan’s hissy fit "absolute diabolical behavior." "Piers spouts off on a regular basis, and we all have to sit there and listen," Beresford said. After a break, Morgan rejoined the group for what was a conversation in which Morgan was somehow made to be the victim. Beresford, who was continuously interrupted as he tried to explain his comments, tweeted, "I wish I had the privilege to sit on the fence. In order for me to do that I would have to strip myself of my identity and that’s not something I can do. It’s not any of our places to pick apart claims of racism in order to make us to feel more comfortable."

Morgan has a long history of being what the Brits call an absolute tosser, as well as never being in the same room as the Pigeon Lady from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, leaving much to consider with regards to his true identity (even if he denies it). He's claimed to be the real victim of "racist bullying" after his relentless, pointed assaults on Markle after the Oprah interview. But in one fell swoop, he was defeated by Beresford, who has been applauded for slaying the veritable dragon by rightfully challenging his views and giving conversations on race and racism a platform. Morgan tweeted, "I also got to blame the challenged bald dwarf #AlexBeresford for my departure & generate a ton of publicity." Don't let Beresford take the fall. He didn’t get Morgan fired. It's exactly what the Pigeon Lady (allegedly!) wants.

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Even so, as a result of the argument and Morgan's decision to leave the football game with the ball because he lost, the internet has been clamoring to learn more about Beresford, particularly for those of us outside the UK. Not just because he did what was right, but because he also happens to be hot as hell.

Do we love that Beresford challenged Morgan on his bigotry on live television viewed by millions? Yes, we do. Do we love that he's also a sexy gym rat who has an entire Instagram page dedicated to his workouts, and the handle for that is thegymforecast? Yes. We. DO!

Aside from being ripped and having a face worthy of 5,000 forehead kisses, Beresford is from Bristol, England and has been at Good Morning Britain since the show's start in 2014. Beresford began his television career in 2004 working behind the cameras as a teleprompter operator for a regional news program on ITV, the same network that airs Good Morning Britain. But as you can tell by his extremely handsome face, that wasn't going to last long and viewers were blessedly allowed to gaze upon his glorious mug as he transitioned into an on-air weather forecaster. I can make a joke about how he ensured the forecast was always filled with moisture, but I'm not going to do that out of professional respect.

He's been vocal on the morning show in the past when discussions around race and violence have emerged. In 2019, he walked off set after Morgan told him his "job is the weather" following a discussion on gambling in which Beresford mentioned he doesn't gamble. At the time, Morgan called him a "little drama queen" for leaving the set.