27 December 2023 , 12:44
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Viewers of This Morning witnessed the ITV show's most tumultuous year to date in 2023, following claims of a "toxic" work culture after the shock departure of Phillip Schofield.
The 61-year-old presenter resigned from ITV show after 21 years, on the back of his admission of an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger male colleague. And his co-host Holly Willoughby announced her departure from the daytime show just five months after Phillip's scandal emerged, following 14 years as the show's main presenter.
ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall instructed a barrister to open an external review, which concluded that the broadcaster was "unable to uncover the relevant evidence” to prove the alleged affair between the TV host and the show runner had taken place.
The downward spiral of This Morning started in May 18 2023 after Philip presented, what has since emerged as his last show. Two days later, ITV announced his departure "with immediate effect." The following day, on May 21, it was confirmed that the ITV show will be hosted by Dermot O'Leary and fan favourite Alison Hammond. At the time, Holly, 42 took an extended break over half-term before her return on June 5.
While presenting the show, Alison and Dermot paid tribute to the disgraced star as they described him as "one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had." By May 24, the presenter told Piers Morgan that he was "utterly heartbroken" and felt robbed by not being able to say a "proper goodbye" to viewers of the show.
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Phillip Schofield's affair scandal kickstarted the demise of This Morning (ITV)And a couple of days later Phillip made the decision to publicly admit that he embarked on an extra-marital affair with a younger male colleague. At the time, he confirmed that he was still with his wife and claimed that he was not going to host the British Soap Awards, despite reports at the time to the contrary.
He apologised for lying about the affair and is then dropped by his talent agency YMU. By May 27, Holly Willoughby decided to distance herself from Philip, despite forming a close relationship with the star, as she accused him of lying to her about the affair and said his admission was “very hurtful”. ITV said the broadcaster was "not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour" when it looked into the matter in 2020.
The following day, former This Morning resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh said the show was "toxic" behind the scenes and added that he raised concerns about "bullying and discrimination", two years ago when he worked there. And after, he felt as though he was "managed out" for going public with his opinion. ITV responded by claiming an external and independent adviser was appointed to carry out a review after the complaint, which found "no evidence of bullying or discrimination."
By May 29Phillip released a statement denying "toxicity" at This Morning. However, Eamonn Holmes, who was a presenter on the show along with his wife Ruth Langsford, alleged that there was a "total cover-up" at ITV over the affair and, in an interview on GB News, he said Holly should follow in Phillip's footsteps "out the door."
Outside of the show on May 30, Phillip is axed as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust as the charity said it is "no longer appropriate" to work with him. On May 31, ITV’s chief executive Dame Carolyn said the broadcaster had instructed a barrister to conduct an external review of how it handled the presenter's affair. She added that Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers, will “carry out an external review to establish the facts”.
On June 1, Dame Carolyn is called to give evidence to a parliamentary committee to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling. In an interview with The Sun, Phillip apologised for lying to his “best friend” Holly, but owed his “greatest apology” to his former lover and colleague.
Speaking to the BBC’s Amol Rajan on June 2, Phillip said he had “lost everything” in the wake of his affair becoming public and denied allegations of grooming his former colleague. He said: “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am.” Live on TV, Alison Hammond became emotional while on This Morning, saying she was finding the situation "really painful", as she had grown close to the TV personality.
In his interview with the publication, he also claimed that he was afraid to leave the house following the affair. On June 3, This Morning editor Martin Frizell told Sky News that "scores are being settled" when asked about claims of a toxic work environment at the ITV show.
Meanwhile, on her return to the daytime show on June 5, Holly said she felt "shaken, troubled, let down and worried." Further into that month, Dame Carolyn faced questions from MPs and told them she did not recognise allegations of a toxic culture at This Morning saying, "it deeply disappoints me."
Fast-forward a few weeks, on August 23 an ITV boss said the broadcaster did not have "anything to hide" as he confirmed they are co-operating with the independent inquiry being undertaken in relation to Phillip Schofield. On the back of the scandals, This Morning lost out on the Best Daytime category at the National Television Awards as The Repair Shop was awarded the prestigious prize.
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By October 10, Holly announced that she was stepping down from presenting This Morning after an astonishing 14 years on the show. She claimed that she had made the shock decision to quit "for me and my family." By December 7, an external review by Jane Mulcahy KC found ITV made "considerable efforts" to find out the truth about an alleged affair between Phillip and the runner in 2019, but was "unable to uncover the relevant evidence" until the presenter’s own admission in late May 2023.