ITV bosses were warned about serious concerns over Philip Schofield's younger lover, reports say.
After denying any knowledge of concerns about the production assistant's wellbeing, claims say other ITV staff raised serious concerns to bosses over his mental health. Last month, ITV chiefs told MPs they had no knowledge of such worries, but now ITV sources are claiming this isn't true, the Mirror reports.
Schofield quit This Morning back in May after admitting an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a runner who worked on the show. The 61 year-old has since faced criticism in the public eye, with Josie Gibson taking his place on the couch alongside Holly Willoughby.
Sources at the TV channel believe managing director for entertainment Kevin Lygo and other bosses knew of an email from a senior manager at Loose Women, which told of worries about the runner's worsening mental state. It is claimed that she reached out to seek help for him, as it was clear he was "struggling" at work.
Speaking to the Daily Mail a source said: "Early 2020 was a very difficult time for a number of people working on Loose Women. They were deeply saddened to see Person X's mental health deteriorate.
"They would see him struggle at work but also outside of it, too; they witnessed him in some worrying states. His behaviour had become increasingly volatile, which now all makes sense.
"At the time various people had heard rumours about his relationship and it was thought that the fact he needed help with his mental health ought to be escalated to those higher up so he could get some support.
"It was then that the senior manager decided to put it in writing so there would be a paper trail of their concerns."
However, when questioned about the alleged correspondence, Mr Lygo replied: "I don't think any that I can recall, honestly," before John Nicolson MP revealed a copy of an email purporting to show concerns about Phillip's conduct were raised in 2021.
The correspondence – allegedly sent to an ITV staff member by someone on Mr Lygo's team – said that at a meeting on October 4, 2021, the staff member 'referred to concerns about the conduct of Philip Schofield and another colleague working on This Morning'.
The email continued: "I'm not able to share all the details, but I can find no evidence to suggest that Kevin Lygo failed to take action on the allegations that you have raised with him."
The young runner worked on Loose Women after he left This Morning. A number of panellists on the all-female show are said to have voiced their concerns about his welfare to the show's executives.
Eamonn Holmes, who is married to Loose Women anchor Ruth Langsford, said that the production assistant, now in his mid-20s, was 'fragile' and 'in a bad way' during the early months of 2020.
Regarding the alleged correspondence about his wellbeing, an ITV spokesman told the Mirror: "We do not have a record of the emails described."
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