Christine Bleakley defends Daybreak ratings plunge

Christine Bleakley left the BBC's The One Show to host Daybreak

Daybreak host Christine Bleakley has defended the show's poor ratings, describing it as a "teething problem".

Figures released last week showed average viewer numbers fell to about 600,000 - a third of the audience for its rival BBC Breakfast.

"It's unfortunate other people don't quite believe in us yet," she said.

Bleakley was speaking at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year awards where she won an award for TV presenting.

"It's a tough sort of job and we always knew it was going to be and that's not a shock to us at all," she said.

"Any wee show has its teething problems and that's kind of how we see it."

At its launch in September, one million viewers tuned in to the morning show but have slipped since.

An ITV spokesman said last week: "After over five years of decline for GMTV, Daybreak is already closing the gap in year-on-year decline after just one month, with housewives and children, male and younger audiences."

He added the broadcaster looked forward "to building on this start and welcoming new audiences".

Initial overnight figures for Tuesday 2 November showed that Daybreak's viewing figures lifted slightly to an average of 800,000 viewers, while 1.7 million tuned into BBC Breakfast.