TV chef Clodagh McKenna has been praised by fans after sharing a sweet post dedicated to Phillip Schofield following his departure from This Morning.
Clodagh, 48, was praised by ITV fans as the 'only sincere' person on the set of This Morning to show 'real affection' and sadness over Phillip's exit. This comes after Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary hosted the popular daytime TV show on Monday morning and were criticised for their 'cold' tribute to Phil.
Following weeks of speculation about the state of his friendship with Holly Willoughby, Phillip, 61, announced over the weekend that he would be stepping down from his role on This Morning. Alison and Dermot faced backlash for their 'insincere' tribute to Phil following his two decades on the show, but fans gushed over Clodagh's glowing post.
Celebrity chef Clodagh has been praised for standing by Phillip and speaking in high praise of the former This Morning host amid intense social media backlash. The Mirror reports that Clodagh said it was a pleasure to work alongside the star for so many years.
"21 years of brightening up our mornings…. And I’ve been so lucky to be part of 3 of them," she penned. "I’ll miss the morning hug, the twinkle in your eye that makes me giggle and your empathy."
She added: "You will be missed @schofe."
Clodagh was praised by fans for her sweet post about Phil as he has faced huge backlash online following his departure from the ITV show.
"First person I’ve heard in support for Phil. I’ve grown up with him on the tv, always brightened up coming home from school watching him in the broom cupboard, then looking forward to Saturday mornings with ‘Going live’ I’ve enjoyed his whole career, he really will be missed," one commented.
"Good on you for speaking positive of Phil. He needs it now more than ever," another echoed.
"The most sincere thing I have seen in days as this drama continues. Well done Clodagh. Phil is lucky to have a friend like you," someone else voiced.
While a fourth penned: "Clodagh well done. You are the only person that I have seen to come out and acknowledge Phil’s 21 years and that you will miss him.The vitriol has been vile."
Despite his long tenure on the show, Alison and Dermot began the show on Monday with just a brief mention of Phillip's exit.
Kicking off the show, Alison said: "Now we can't start today's show without paying tribute to the man who has spent the last two decades sitting on this sofa; Phillip Schofield."
"Everyone on and off the screen at ITV and This Morning want to say a huge thank you to Phil for what he's done to make this show a success over the last 21 years," Dermot continued before Alison added: "Quite simply we all know he's one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had and we, and all the team, wish him all the best for the future."
This Morning viewers were left confused by the cold tribute as many claimed the pair made it sound like Phil had died. One said: "Just tuned into This Morning and Alison and Dermot literally spent one minute talking about Schofield as if he was dead, absolutely bizarre timeline we live in.""
Another penned: " #ThisMorning paying tribute to Phillip Schofield like he’s dead," while a third added: "Weird intro to #ThisMorning with a sombre tribute to Philip Schofield and still pictures as though he'd died."
A fourth wrote: "Christ, Dermot looks like he's announcing that someone died talking about Schofield leaving #ThisMorning. The only thing that has died Dermot is Phillip Schofield's career and ITV's integrity."
While one added: "The whole 'paying tribute' thing makes it sound like Phillip died! #ThisMorning."
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