Former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield has hit back at critics, claiming there was “no toxicity” on the ITV show and appearing to blame his departure on a “handful of people with a grudge”.
The presenter left ITV on Friday and was dropped by his talent agency as he admitted to an affair with a younger male colleague – which he described as “unwise, but not illegal” – while married.
Over the weekend, former This Morning resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh said the show had a “toxic” culture and that he had raised concerns about bullying and discrimination two years ago. He said he had felt as if he was “managed out” for whistleblowing and that the show’s problems went “far beyond” Schofield.
In a statement released on Instagram minutes before Monday’s show went on air, Schofield, 61, said: “Now I no longer work on This Morning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.
“This Morning is the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there, there was no toxicity.”
He added: “You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like. But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know, it is a family of wonderful, talented, kind, hard-working people.”
Dermot O’Leary, who has been presenting the show with Alison Hammond since Schofield stepped down on 20 May, acknowledged the fallout.
He said: “We all know we happen to be in the news at the moment and of course we appreciate that but just from both of us, the whole team here, the crew, the guys downstairs, we love making this show for all of you.”
Hammond added: “We really do, and that’s exactly what we are going to do, we are going to continue to do that.”
The former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth, who was on the show reviewing the day’s news stories, said he was “very happy to be here”.
“This is a happy place to work, I enjoy coming in here and have done since I began coming in. We are happy people in a happy place.”
In his statement on Sunday, Singh, who worked on This Morning for 10 years, said he became “increasingly worried” about working conditions.
“I genuinely loved and valued working there. However, over time, I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind the scenes and how people, including myself, were being treated,” he said.
“I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with TM [This Morning] go far beyond him. It takes more than one person to create a culture.”
He raised his concerns with senior ITV executives, he said, but afterwards “found myself being used less and less”.
He added: “I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV: the culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out.”
ITV did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Schofield’s latest statement, but in response to Singh’s claims, a spokesperson said on Sunday: “We are sorry to read Dr Ranj’s post today. At ITV we are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have.
“Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent adviser to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.”
ITV said it had investigated “rumours of a relationship” between Schofield and the ITV employee about three years ago but that it was “categorically and repeatedly denied” by both parties.
The broadcaster has denied speculation it plans to axe the show.
