This Morning has been dragged kicking and screaming into the spotlight in the wake of the Phillip Schofield 's departure, with ITV chiefs said to believe the show has been "tarnished beyond repair".
It emerged on Friday that Schofield lied about a relationship with a younger male colleague, deceiving his co-stars, bosses and agent.
While ITV has insisted, "This Morning is not under review and there's no plans for the show to be axed," the drama has shaken the show to its core.
Even Schofield's former 'bestie' and co-host Holly Willoughby blasted him on social media, claiming he lied to her when she confronted him about the romance rumours with the staffer, who was over 18.
Former This Morning star Ranj Singh then released a lengthy statement, claiming he was phased out from the show after raising concerns to ITV bosses, stating he put a formal complaint in about a bully on the set.
And now, as fans fear Holly could be used as a scapegoat, Phil has spoken out and lambasted the "loud voices" that are damning This Morning - insisting "there was no toxicity."
Here, we take a look behind the scenes - from infighting between stars, whistleblowers and complaints made about the culture on set to the future for the beleaguered show...
Loose Women star's 'formal complaint' about Phil
After Phillip made his bombshell statement, admitting the affair but refusing to name his former colleague, it was claimed the young runner was suddenly moved from This Morning to Loose Women after the relationship "turned sour".
The stars of Loose Women were said to be "livid" when they learned the news, and one is said to have even made a formal complaint about the situation.
It was also claimed by the Mail Online 's Dan Wootton: "I spoke to a number of the Loose Women presenters personally who were livid and worried that they were having to deal with the very real fallout of Phillip's mixed up professional and personal life.
"At least one of the stars had made a formal complaint to management.
"Another told me: 'We shouldn't be having to deal with Phillip's messed up situation. We love (the young worker) but he's very troubled now. What if he can't cope?'"
In his statement, Phil categorically denied having anything to do with the runner's job change, insisting: "He was never moved on or sacked by or because of me."
And ITV said the only complaint made was from Ruth relating to an incident where Phil spoke over her during a link.
"Ruth Langsford's complaint referred to Phillip cutting her off - not anything else," a spokesperson said.
Infighting between stars
Eamonn Holmes and his wife Ruth hosted the hit show on Fridays and during the school holidays between 2006 and 2021 - but things are said to have been tense between the couple and Phil.
Eamonn has now spoken out against Phillip, branding him "delusional" in a scathing response to the beleaguered star's statement about the culture at This Morning.
Phil slammed those who had claimed there was toxicity backstage at This Morning, accusing them of holding grudges.
Eamonn has since responded to the statement, calling Phil 'delusional' and insisting he had "picked on the wrong person" if he was "looking for a fight".
In a post on Twitter, Eamonn wrote: "Schofield has just put out a delusional statement.
"Like Holly he puts it on Insta Stories so if it goes wrong there is no record after 24 hours. I'm reluctant to give the liar any more publicity but believe me Pip if you are looking for a fight, you have picked on the wrong person!"
Whistleblowers and 'bullying' claims
In the wake of the ongoing drama, former This Morning star Ranj Singh claimed that was phased out of the show after raising concerns about an alleged bully to ITV bosses.
The resident doctor started working on the show alongside Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in 2016 but left over a year ago.
In a lengthy statement, 43-year-old Ranj 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."
The former This Morning star finished off his statement by adding: "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 lessons 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."
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."
Will Holly be made a 'scapegoat'?
Holly Willoughby is said to be determined to stay at This Morning, despite calls for her to step down.
The TV presenter, 42, has found herself caught up in the eye of the storm, despite confirming she knew nothing about the affair.
One source said Phil had "lied point blank to staff at every level" about the affair - including his so-called best friend, Holly.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Holly said that she felt "deeply hurt" by Phillip's lies, especially after she questioned him over the rumours.
Her statement read: "It has taken some time to process yesterday's news.
"When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."
Following her statement, thousands of This Morning fans and social media users alike hit out at the ITV star, calling for her to step down.
If that wasn't enough, a number of celebrities, including Kim Woodburn, Katie Hopkins, Kerry Katona, and Eamonn Holmes joined in.
Nadine Dorries even called for a probe into the complaints against Phillip Schofield, claiming that Holly also had questions to answer.
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg's show on the BBC, Nadine said: "The fact that Phillip Schofield has made a rather grovelling apology to the Daily Mail in the form of an email, there seems to be this understanding that, 'that's it now, everything will move on.'
"But it's not the case, I'm afraid, because what it actually does is open up more questions as to what happened.
"We know that there were complaints lodged with ITV over a long period of time. What happened to those complaints?
"I think the editor of the programme, Martin Frizell, has some questions to answer himself, and I'm afraid so does Holly Willoughby."
But a source told The Mirror she has no intentions of quitting This Morning, and hopes to 'ride out the scandal'.
The only way in which Holly would ever choose to leave the ITV programme is if the show itself was axed as a whole.
The source said: "Holly wants to stay at This Morning as long as she can, and hopes to ride out the scandal. Other stars like Stephen Mulhern are being approached to fill in for Phil when she returns. Some are reluctant to go in and face angry viewers.
"Holly is determined to stay put - the only reason she would leave now is if This Morning is axed. She has absolutely no plans to leave."
And echoing the feeling of many, one Twitter user called for calm, urging people not to punish Holly for someone else's affair.
"Holly Willoughby isn't the problem. Don't make a woman the scapegoat for a man's actions," the commenter said.
ITV's tough choice
With mounting pressure, ITV's leadership will have to decide the future of the hit daytime show.
Chief executive Carolyn McCall, its daytime managing director Emma Gormley and editor of This Morning Martin Frizell have all faced calls for the show to be axed, with staff reportedly fearing it could be "rested", or pulled entirely.
An ITV spokesman told the Mirror last night: "This Morning is not under review and there's no plans for the show to be axed. This Morning will return as normal tomorrow."
And an ITV source said: "This Morning has won so many awards, the last thing ITV want is to lose it. They retain faith in editor Martin Frizell and want to move on and look to the future now."
