Phillip Schofield has broken his silence after he admitted last week to an affair with a younger man who worked on This Morning. the show.
As we reported on Friday, the 61-year-old This Morning presenter resigned from the ITV show on Friday and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with the young male colleague on the show.
Phillip has claimed he covered up the fling for years in a bid to "protect" his former colleague, who was 15 when they met and ITV bosses have said an investigation was launched into the claims in early 2020.
Today, Phillip said in a post on Instagram which he shared just 15 minutes before This Morning's Monday show began, he 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. 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."
On Friday, Phillip said: "The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning.
"I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. 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.
"I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.
"I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it."
At the weekend, we reported former This Morning star Ranj Singh revealed why he departed the ITV show after raising multiple concerns to bosses. Ranj had previously worked on the daytime programme alongside Phillip and his co-star Holly Willoughby, joining in 2016 before leaving the show after putting in a formal complaint about a bully on the set.
Ranj took to Twitter to break his silence and blasted the 'toxic culture' of ITV.
According to reports in the Mirror, the 43-year-old shed light on why he ultimately decided to part ways with the show in a lengthy statement where he claims issues at This Morning "go far beyond" the bombshell news of Phillip.
He said: "Lots of journalists have been contacting me this weekend enquiring about this, so I think it’s only right that I clarify things. There is so much more I could say, but for now I hope my concerns will finally be taken seriously, and something good comes from all this.
"I've thought long and hard about posting this. If I'm honest, I wish I didn't have to. But I've got to clarify some things that have been reported about me, and in the light of recent events, I finally feel like I might be believed.
"To the journalists who have offered me money this weekend to share my experience of working at This Morning, thank you, but it would go against my principles to 'sell my story' - especially about something like this.
"However, given that ITV have commented on my departure, I feel it's only fair for me to do so too to avoid any further conjecture.
"I was on the show for ten years and 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.
"I didn't know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with This Morning go far beyond him.
"It takes more than one person to create a culture. So I did what I thought was right and, as ITV confirmed last night, I raised my concerns about Martin Frizell's behaviour (and the environment at This Morning) with Emma Gormley - especially given that my job is to look after people's wellbeing, and I had been heavily involved in diversity, anti-bullying, and mental health projects across the channel.
"But then I found myself being used less and less."
Ranj continued on in his lengthy statement: "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.
"But as history and experience have taught us, things like bullying and discrimination are very hard to prove, particularly in hindsight and when the 'people in power' control the narrative. As we've seen, no review or investigation is foolproof.
"Still, I was assured that certain things were going to be addressed and changes made. I haven't worked on the show since... and I'm not the only one who has spoken up or experienced similar.
"That was two years ago, and frankly, it still hurts. The whole process was pretty heartbreaking and even affected my mental health.
"But I'm happy to say that I've found my feet again, know my worth and have found my tribe."
Ranj added: "So my general message to everyone is: look around you. Is this the place you want to be? Do you feel valued? Are you thriving or just surviving? Do you need to speak up?
"These are lesson I have learned my from time in the industry. I say it all with respect, kindness, and a desire to make things better.
"There are some good people in TV, but we need to be brave and stand up to those who aren't. Even if it's scary as hell, we have to do the right thing, otherwise nothing will change.
"I sincerely hope something good comes from this."
A spokesperson for ITV told the Mirror: "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."
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