ITV's This Morning will undergo an external review, following the exit of host Phillip Schofield when he admitted an affair with a younger employee.
A boss at the broadcaster has asked a barrister to carry out a full-scale review of facts after 61-year-old Phillip left the show with 'immediate effect' May 20.
PA reports that ITV Chief Executive Dame Carolyn McCall told of the review in a letter.
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The letter was sent to culture secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee Chair Dame Caroline Dineage, and Ofcom's Chief Executive Dame Melanie Dawes. The frontman of the show since 2002 has also been dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a younger male colleague.
The letter refers to a 'significant' media coverage surrounding Phillip, adding: "As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend."
It also adds that ITV records show "when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in late 2019/early 2020 ITV investigated. Both parties were questioned then and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Phillip’s then agency YMU.
"In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on the This Morning and wider Daytime team and were not provided with, and did not find any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour. Given the ongoing rumours, we continued to ask questions of both parties, who both continued to deny the rumours, including as recently as this month."
The letter then goes on to state out a number of facts, following what Dame Carolyn says has been "a lot of inaccuracy" in reporting, with her adding that the young employee has been offered support throughout.
It continued: "The ITV employee was aged 19 when he first did work experience at This Morning in 2015 and 20 years old when he applied and succeeded in securing a job as a runner on the show. He subsequently applied for and was successful in securing a promotion to Loose Women in 2019.
"He left ITV in 2021. As you would imagine given the social media scrutiny of him, we have offered him our support throughout this period and indeed are still doing so. The employee has made it clear that he does not wish to be named or identified in connection with this matter.
"We would be grateful if you would be mindful of this.”
Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers has been asked to "carry out an external review to establish the facts" the letter adds.
"She will review our records and talk to people involved. This work will also consider our relevant processes and policies and whether we need to change or strengthen any," it read. Schofield's relationship also took place while he was still married to wife Stephanie Lowe, before he came out as gay.
A statement on Friday last week from Schofield noted how he was "deeply sorry" for "having lied" about the relationship, citing that he "did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning".
His statement said: "Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.”
His statement added: "I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public, and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife."
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