This Morning LIVE: Holly Willoughby arrives ahead of on-air return as fallout continues from Phillip Schofield’s exit

Follow MailOnline’s liveblog for updates today as This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby returns to the sofa on the ITV show after Phillip Schofield’s departure:

Host commentator

Phillip Schofield spoke about the affair he had with a younger male colleague for the first time since leaving ITV last week. Here are the key points from his interviews with The BBC and The Sun:

Lover was not underage — Schofield denied he had any sexual interaction with his former This Morning colleague when the younger man was underage, but said their later affair was ‘unforgivable’.

A victim of hate — Schofield told the BBC he was not a victim of the situation around his hidden affair, but added: ‘I feel a victim of hate after the event, and I think there will probably be a lot of people watching this now thinking, ‘how dare you?’

Believes television career is over — In a sign he believes his television career is over, Schofield told the BBC’s Rajan: ‘I see nothing ahead of me but blackness and sadness and regret and remorse and guilt.’

No NDA or injunction in place — Schofield denied allegations that his former This Morning colleague was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to keep him silent over their affair and feels the truth is coming out now as ‘the lie got too big for both of us’.

Denied grooming — Schofield said in his interview with The Sun: ‘I did not (groom him). There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way (an abuse of power) because we’d become mates.’

Apology — Schofield said his ‘greatest apology’ over the fallout from the affair was to his former lover.

Wife — He said his wife, Stephanie, was ‘very, very angry’ after he confessed to her about his affair with a younger ITV colleague.

This Morning will air on ITV1 from 10am today until 12.30pm. It is available on Freesat channel 103, Freeview channel 103, Sky channel 103 and Virgin Media channel 103.

The programme airs after Lorraine and before Loose Women. You can also watch ITV1 on the ITV website.

This Morning editor, Martin Frizell has arrived at Television Centre in White City, West London, ahead of the show today.

Frizell said over the weekend that ‘scores are being settled’ when asked about claims of a toxic work environment at the programme.

In the wake of Phillip Schofield’s resignation after admitting an affair with a younger male colleague, former This Morning employees hit out at the broadcaster criticising the work place culture.

On Saturday, Mr Frizell told Sky News to ‘read between the lines’ amid claims of toxicity at This Morning. ‘I think there’s some scores being settled,’ he said.

Moment Phillip Schofield came clean to his mother about his sacking

Photographs have come to light showing axed This Morning star Phillip Schofield embracing his elderly mother after he was sacked from the show.

The 61-year-old was seen hugging his mother Pat, 87, on a bench overlooking the sea in Newquay, Cornwall, last month.

See the pictures and read the full story on MailOnline here:

Will Phillip Schofield watch Holly Willoughby’s return to This Morning?

Phillip Schofield won’t tune in to watch his former ‘best friend’ and co-host Holly Willoughby return to the This Morning sofa today as it would be too ‘triggering’ for him, friends claimed last night.

Allies of the 61-year-old, who was axed by bosses at ITV after revelations he had lied about an affair with male colleague, say even watching the opening credits could prove too distressing for him as he comes to terms with leaving the show he had fronted since 2002.

Read the full story on MailOnline here:

Eamonn Holmes blasts Phillip Schofield’s ‘lies, lies, lies’

Eamonn Holmes has blasted Phillip Schofield again, insisting he doesn’t believe the former ITV star’s claims that he has made ‘one mistake’ in his 40-year career.

In his bombshell interview last week, Schofield said he believed his career was ‘over’ and he had ‘lost everything’ after admitting he had lied about his relationship with a man on the show.

But, speaking on his GB News programme this morning, Schofield’s former This Morning colleague Holmes called for ‘anyone watching today who has kissed Phillip Schofield, let us know.’

Holmes continued: ‘He said in is 40 odd years of broadcasting that he’s made one mistake, he had one kiss that he shouldn’t have had. I put it to anyone watching today that if you have kissed Phillip Schofield let us know. Let us see if that figure of one grows to the figure that I believe it is probably at.’

Holly Willoughby’s return to presenting duties was confirmed at the end of Friday’s episode of This Morning, which was hosted by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, and that Josie Gibson will be filling in as co-host.

Last Friday, Hammond was left in tears on the show when she commented on Schofield’s first interviews following his departure from ITV.

She said: ‘I’m finding it really painful. I loved Phillip Schofield; it’s weird because I still love Phillip Schofield, however, what he’s done is wrong. He’s admitted it, he’s said sorry.

‘As a family, we’re all really struggling to process everything – I never know what to say. I remember what my mum said, my mum always said ‘use your Bible as your satnav in life (Alison)’, and in the Bible it say ‘he without sin, casts the first stone’. I just don’t want to say anything bad because I’m in conflict.’

ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall has been called to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.

Last Wednesday, she confirmed the broadcaster had instructed barrister Jane Mulcahy KC of Blackstone Chambers to carry out an external review of the facts.

Willoughby’s return comes as the ITV show has been plagued by allegations of ‘toxicity’, including from former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who has alleged there was a ‘total cover-up’ over the Phillip Schofield affair.

The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, also hit out at a ‘toxic’ culture, saying he raised concerns about ‘bullying and discrimination’ two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was ‘managed out’ for whistleblowing.

In a letter from ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall to Parliament last Wednesday, she said an external review conducted following a complaint made by Dr Ranj found ‘no evidence of bullying or discrimination’.

Meanwhile, former This Morning head of news Emily Maddick, who worked on the show from September to December 2019, claimed she quit the programme due to ‘bullying, sexism and a toxic culture of fear and intimidation’.

On Saturday, This Morning editor Martin Frizell told a Sky News reporter to ‘read between the lines’ amid claims of toxicity, adding: ‘I think there’s some scores being settled.’

Schofield said he ‘didn’t tell anybody’ about his affair with his former This Morning colleague, confirming Willoughby ‘did not know’ in a tell-all interview with BBC’s Amol Rajan that aired last Friday.

Similarly in his interview with the Sun, the 61-year-old presenter apologised to Willoughby for lying to her about his relationship, saying: ‘I’ve lost my best friend’.

He added: ‘I let her (Holly) down. I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down. Holly did not know (about the affair) and she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say: ‘I am so, so sorry that I lied to you’.

‘She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply as well. So yeah, if anyone is in any way linking Holly to this, that is -absolutely, wholly untrue.’

The duo, who had presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted Dancing On Ice before Schofield resigned from ITV, had been open about their close friendship over the years.

‘Nervous’ Holly Willoughby arrives at This Morning studios

Holly Willoughby has arrived at ITV’s London studios and is said to be nervous about returning to This Morning today – and will be ‘kind’ about Phillip Schofield – but her former co-star won’t be watching, it has emerged.

The mother-of-three has been away for a fortnight, including a half term break to Portugal, but will present the hit show with Josie Gibson from 10am.

Read the full story from MailOnline’s chief reporter Martin Robinson here:

This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby is due to return to the sofa today alongside Josie Gibson as the ITV show continues to face controversy in the wake of Phillip Schofield’s departure.

Willoughby, 42, has been on a two week half-term break following the shock departure of her former co-host Schofield and his subsequent revelation of an affair with a younger ITV male employee.

She is planning to address the Schofield controversy on the show, telling viewers how difficult it has been behind the scenes.

Follow MailOnline’s liveblog throughout today for all the latest updates.

Source: Read Full Article