Former This Morning star Dr Ranj Singh has issued a further statement amid the ongoing controversy surrounding his ex co-star Phillip Schofield. It comes on the back of a photo of himself with Phillip's former lover resurfacing online.
Ranj had previously worked on the ITV daytime programme alongside Phillip, 61, and his co-star Holly Willoughby, joining in 2016 before leaving the show after lodging in a formal complaint about the behaviour of staff.
The showbiz doctor, 43, took to Twitter today to break his silence after the snap from 2017 resurfaced online.
He wrote in a statement: "It’s sad that there are people out there trying to cause damage and insinuate things from a harmless picture.
"So here are some facts: [Phil's ex] and I worked together at This Morning. He was 21 when we took this picture at the studio. And it was obviously taken as a joke."
It comes as we previously reported over the weekend Dr Ranj took to social media to explain his "increasingly worried" concerns about how the ITV show was running behind the scenes and how staff were treated on This Morning.
The resident doctor claimed he "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," he said.
"But then I found myself being used less and less."
Dr 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."
Dr Ranj continued to say the experience affected his mental health but he's finally "found his feet again."
Following Ranj's statement, an ITV spokesperson told The Mirror: "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 advisor to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination."
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