Holly Willoughby 'supporting James Martin' after chef faced bullying allegations

08 August 2023 , 17:42

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Holly Willoughby 'supporting James Martin' after chef faced bullying allegations

The Morning host Holly Willoughby has apparently stood by James Martin amid an influx of bullying allegations after it was revealed the TV star had "reduced staff to tears."

Holly is said to have contacted James after a leaked recording revealed that he'd swore to members of the ITV crew during one of his outbursts on the set of his show. A source said the 42-year-old has been keeping in touch with James on a regular basis despite being away from the ITV studio. Holly is currently enjoying an extended summer break with her family following the Phillip Schofield fallout this summer.

"Holly's been supporting James Martin ever since the bullying allegations came to light. He was there for her when everything was kicking off at ITV and now she's returning the favour. They're good friends and are keeping in touch - despite both being off-screen on This Morning over the summer" a source told The Sun.

Holly Willoughby has reportedly been "supporting" James Martin who was accused of bullying staff

In light of the claims, Martin made a recent statement apologising for “upsetting or causing offence” while he'd also revealed he'd been diagnosed with cancer, lost his last surviving grandparent, was the victim of a burglary, and had his home flooded due to a blocked drain.

He said: “Firstly I would like to publicly and sincerely apologise to the crew involved in this incident, as I did at the time. I have always strived to keep my private life private. However, since details of a conversation, which was secretly recorded in January 2018, are now five years later being made public by a former member of our production team, I have decided to make a statement.

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“The end of 2017 was one of the most fraught and difficult periods of my life. I was dealing with the death of my last living grandparent, my grandfather, and on account of work commitments I could not attend his funeral."

James has since issued an apology following the allegations (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

James continued: “Later that month I was burgled at night by a team of masked men, who entered my house while my partner Louise was at home alone and I was working away. I was devastated that she had to go through that alone. On top of this, I was then diagnosed with cancer on my face and I had to have surgery, which I couldn’t do until two days before Christmas when we had finished filming. Since then it has returned on several occasions and I have to regular treatments.

“After all this stress I was in a very emotional state and when after filming in early January 2018 I discovered my home had been flooded while filming, I was extremely upset.” After explaining his reasons for his outburst, James added: “I can only say I am human and following a build-up of a personal life pressure I admit that I overreacted regarding the damage to my home.” The claims against him date back to early 2018 and were reportedly leaked by a former member of the production staff.

Ayaan Ali