This Morning is set to undergo an external review after Phillip Schofield's affair admission and sudden exit.
ITV has instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts following Phillip Schofield’s statement and departure from This Morning.
ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall is said to have told of the review in a letter seen by PA news agency.
The letter was sent to culture secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom’s chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, in the wake of Schofield’s departure from ITV last week.
It mentions the "significant media coverage concerning Phillip Schofield" and adds that: "As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend."
The letter also mentions 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".
It reads: "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 goes on to state out facts, following what Dame Carolyn says has been "a lot of inaccuracy" in reporting and she added the former employee Schofield admitted to an affair with has been offered support throughout.
It said: "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."
The letter also states that ITV has instructed Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers, to "carry out an external review to establish the facts".
"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," the letter said.
Phillip quit the ITV daytime show after 21 years earlier this month, following rumours of a feud between himself and his former co-host Holly Willoughby.
Days later, Phillip admitted he had an affair with a younger ITV employee in an explosive statement and resigned from ITV entirely and was dropped from his talent agency, YMU, for lying about the affair.
In his statement, which can be read in full here, he said: "I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. 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."
He later added: "In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven't been truthful about the relationship. But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.
"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."
Following on from his bombshell statement, a spokesperson for ITV said on Friday the broadcaster was "deeply disappointed" by the "admissions of deceit".
"The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust," they added.
"Phillip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down."
A later statement from the broadcaster said an internal investigation was launched into allegations of Phillip's affair, but they were "lied" to.
The statement read: "Further to our statement last night, ITV can confirm that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated.
"Both parties were questioned 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 This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.
"Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship."
