Phillip Schofield denies “toxicity” at This Morning
Former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield has denied that there is toxicity behind the scenes of the ITV daytime show.
The 61-year-old posted a statement on Instagram after Dr Ranj Singh – a former regular contributor to the show – said over the weekend that there was a “toxic” work culture on the show.
Hitting back at the claims, disgraced Schofield wrote:
“Now I no longer work on this morning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me all the show who seem to have the loudest voice. This morning is the best show to work on with the best people. In all the years I worked there, there was no toxicity. You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like. But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew hundreds of presenters and contributors all now. It is a family of wonderful talented, kind hard-working people.”
Singh released a statement on his Twitter account on Sunday, May 28 saying he was “managed out” of This Morning after raising concerns with bosses about the atmosphere on the show.
“The culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out,” Singh wrote.
Asked about the post, ITV responded that after it received complaints from Dr Singh, an external review found “no evidence of bullying or discrimination”.
Schofield presented his last edition of This Morning on Thursday, May 18 before standing down from the show amid reports of a rift between himself and co-host Holly Willoughby.
On Friday (26th May), he admitted to having an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a young male runner attached to the programme.
ITV faces questions over how much it knew about the affair, but Schofield has not implicated the broadcaster, apologising for lying to them, his family, and the media. Due to the fact that the young runner was his junior on the daytime production, his behaviour has been criticised as an ‘abuse of power’.
Following the bombshell admission, he resigned from ITV immediately. The broadcaster had said that it would keep working with him following his ‘resignation’ from This Morning.
In an Instagram post, his former co-host Willoughby accused him of lying to her when she asked him about the affair.
“It has taken time to process yesterday’s news. When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It’s been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie,” she said.
