This Morning host Alison Hammond broke down in tears on Friday's show as she addressed Phillip Schofield's affair with a much younger colleague.
Alison and co-host Dermot O'Leary have been fronting the ITV programme all week after Phillip sensationally stepped down on Friday from ITV after confessing he'd had a relationship with a runner on the show he met when he was a teen.
The 61-year-old broke his silence last night and again today in two explosive interviews in which he opened up about the end of his friendship with Holly Willoughby, and the fallout since the news was revealed.
Returning to This Morning on Friday, hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond spoke about Phillip's latest comments.
The pair were discussing the day's big newspaper headlines in their regular segment. And unlike previous days, they touched upon the This Morning news that's been dominating.
After watching the clip from the BBC interview in which Schofield said his daughters had saved his life, Hammond broke down and struggled to speak.
She said: "I was finding it really painful because obviously, you know, I loved Phillip Schofield and it's weird because I still love Phillip Schofield.
"However what he's done is wrong, he's admitted it, he's said sorry. But as a family we're all really struggling to process everything. I never know what to say. But I remember what my mum used to say.
"My mum always said 'Use your Bible as a sat nav in life, Al.' And in the Bible it says 'he without sin, cast the first stone'. And I just don't want to, I don't want to say anything bad because obviously I'm in conflict, that's how I feel."
Dermot also said: "This has been very difficult for us to cover this story as he's a friend and a colleague."
It came on the back of Phillip's admission that he has "lost everything" after the affair with a younger ITV colleague led to him standing down from his presenting role at This Morning last week.
In an emotional interview with BBC news, Phillip spoke of the aftermath of his affair and admitted he lied consistently. The former This Morning host said his career is now 'over' as he categorically denied all allegations of grooming.
"I have to talk about television in the past tense, which breaks my heart. I have lost everything," said Phillip.
"If I get through this I don't know how I move forward. What am I going to do with my days? I see nothing ahead of me but blackness and sadness and regret and remorse and guilt.
"I did something very wrong and then I lied about it consistently... consistently lied about. You can't live with that. How do you live with that?"
Phillip, 61, fled London after stepping down from his role and cut ties with co-star Holly Willoughby as his worried daughters Molly and Ruby followed him.
"Last week if my daughters hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here," Phillip told BBC's Amol Rajan. "They've been by my side every moment because they're scared to let me out of their sight.
"They’ve guarded me and won’t let me out of their sight, it’s like a weird numbness."
Phillip spoke of the trolling he has received since admitting the affair, he said: "Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am."
"It is relentless, and it is day after day, after day after day.
"If you don’t think that that is going to have the most catastrophic effect on someone’s mind… do want me to die? Because that’s where I am. I have lost everything."
Earlier this week, Alison and Dermot addressed claims that This Morning was a "toxic environment", as they revealed they "love" working on the programme.
Opening the programme on Monday, Dermot said: "We know we have been in the news at the moment. But just from both of us, and the whole team here, the crew, the guys downstairs, we love making this show for all of you."
Alison added: "We really do and that's exactly what we're gonna do - we're continuing to do that."
Last night we reported Holly Willoughby is reportedly 'looking forward' to returning to This Morning next week amidst the scandal.
The mother-of-three is currently enjoying her extended half-term break in Portugal with her family as Alison and Dermot host This Morning in her absence. Holly, 42, has been absent from the flagship ITV show since Phillip announced his immediate departure.
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