“Imbalances of power are dangerous and we care about them,” BBC Director General Tim Davie said today, as he was questioned on the Phillip Schofield debate and accusations of toxicity on This Morning.
02.06.2023 - 07:59 / deadline.com
In a shock tell-all interview just days after resigning from ITV’s This Morning, Phillip Schofield has said he did not “abuse his power” when having an affair with a much younger runner, and that he “sees nothing ahead but blackness.”
Speaking to BBC host Amol Rajan, the visibly shaken former host said he has been feeling suicidal over the past few days and “understands how Caroline Flack felt,” referring to the former Love Island presenter who died by suicide in 2020.
“Last week, if my daughters hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here,” said Schofield. “They’ve been by my side every moment because they’re scared to let me out of their sight. It’s like a weird numbness. I know that’s a selfish point of view but you come to a point where you just think how much are you supposed to take.”
Schofield also used the interview to:
Schofield left This Morning with immediate effect last week but it was only a few days later that his affair with the runner, who the press is not naming, emerged in the media. He has already said he lied to ITV, his agency YMU, colleagues and friends, and ITV has since hired an external lawyer to investigate, while CEO Carolyn McCall will next week appear in front of the influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
Schofield detailed the situation with the runner who he had an affair with to Rajan.
He said he met the runner when he was 15 when he was invited to open a drama school, and at that point a photo with him was taken. Schofield was asked to follow him on Twitter and the runner was given work experience when he was 19, above the age of consent.
A relationship began a few weeks later and Schofield stressed it was always “consensual.”
“He had been working at the show for a few months and
“Imbalances of power are dangerous and we care about them,” BBC Director General Tim Davie said today, as he was questioned on the Phillip Schofield debate and accusations of toxicity on This Morning.
It’s the story that everyone’s talking about, and while it started with Phillip Schofield’s shock departure from This Morning, the focus has now fallen on the ITV network itself, with one disgruntled star after another stepping forward to blast the alleged “toxic” culture. “Shaken” and “worried” were the words used by Holly Willoughby to describe her feelings when she addressed the nation on This Morning last Monday.
K.J. Yossman Embattled daytime show “This Morning” is advertising for a new producer. The job, which pays £40,000 to £50,000 per year, is unrelated to the recent fall-out from the Phillip Schofield scandal. “It’s to replace someone who was promoted and has been live for some weeks,” says a source. ITV is looking for a producer who “thrives on the buzz” of live television and has an “abundance of ideas” to support anchor Holly Willoughby and guest hosts including Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond, according to the job description, which is currently live on LinkedIn. “This Morning” was rocked by the resignation of Willoughby’s longtime co-host Phillip Schofield last month, following tension between the two anchors. Schofield subsequently revealed that he had had an affair with a young runner on the show, whom he’d known since the runner was a teenager.
Carolyn McCall is embroiled in scandal following Phillip Schofield’s exit from This Morning as she faces further questions from public and MPsHolly Willoughby and the crew of This Morning are looking for a new chapter of ‘warmth and magic’ following Phillip Schofield’s scandal; something ITV boss Carolyn McCall can only dream of for herself after she has come under further scrutiny for the broadcaster’s handling of certain situations. In the wake of Phil Schofield leaving the ITV show after more than 20 years when reports came to light about his alleged affair with a younger male colleague, all eyes turned to Dame Carolyn McCall to not only see how much the CEO might have known but also her approach to complaint handling and safeguarding as a result.
Holly Willoughby may have "poured petrol" on the scandal surrounding her one-time close friend and former colleague Phillip Schofield, according to an expert. The bubbly This Morning presenter, 42, disappeared from screens for an extended break after Phil, 61, exited the show after more than two decades.
Phillip Schofield 'threw a cue card at This Morning worker' and called him 'thick', a whistleblower has claimed.The claims come amidst weeks of scandal surrounding Phillip, 61, in which rumours of "feud" between him and his former This Morning co-star, Holly Willoughby, led him to quit presenting duties on the show after 21 years, before he sensationally admitted to an affair with a young male colleague on the show. He's also been accused of "toxic" behaviour from other celebrities, such as Eamonn Holmes and Amanda Holden - who previously worked on This Morning, as well as behind-the-scenes employees. Now, a source who allegedly worked on the show in 2017, has accused Phillip of being a "nightmare" as they recalled a particular incident between him and a researcher.
Disgraced British TV presenter Phillip Schofield has spent another week in the headlines, following his departure from ITV’s flagship daytime show This Morning and his admission that he had a secret relationship with a runner on the show 40 years his junior.
Martin Frizell, the Editor of embattled ITV daytime show This Morning, has been rebuked by his employer for “extremely ill-judged” remarks about eggplants when questioned over the Phillip Schofield scandal.
K.J. Yossman “This Morning” anchor Holly Willoughby has returned to the show after a two-week absence following the resignation of her long-time co-host Phillip Schofield. She was joined by guest anchor Josie Gibson. Willoughby began the show by addressing the controversy that has been swirling over the last few weeks, ever since Schofield, who is married with two children, admitted he had had an affair with a young “This Morning” employee. “Firstly, are you OK? I hope so,” Willoughby told viewers. “It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil. And I imagine you might be feeling a lot like I have: shaken, troubled, let down. Worried for the wellbeing on all sides of what’s been going up. And full of questions. You, me and all of us at ‘This Morning’ gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt like they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved.”
Seann Walsh has claimed that Phillip Schofield "will never recover" after his This Morning drama, which saw him "lose everything". The 37-year-old comedian likened Phillip’s situation to the one he experienced when he cheated on his then-girlfriend, they have since split, with his Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones.
Phillip Schofield has broken his silence and revealed his sadness over the reports and rumours circulating about him after admitting to an affair with a much younger man while still married to his wife. Particularly keen to clarify the timeline of events, he revealed in a new interview that he first met the man when he visited the theatre academy he was a patron of.The man began working as a runner on This Morning in 2016 after receiving career advice from Phil and doing work experience at the show in 2015.
In another revelation from his bombshell TV interview, Phillip Schofield stated "I have a wonderful marriage", confirming he's still married to his wife of 20 years, Stephanie Lowe. He then added that the partnership is "not brilliant right now" but continued to praise Stephanie for being an "incredibly supportive wife", throughout the last few weeks in particular.
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Phillip Schofield sent a text message to his This Morning co-star Holly Willoughby after news of his affair with a 'younger' ITV colleague broke last week. In an interview with The Sun, the 61-year-old revealed the exact words he sent to his former friend, which was the last contact he had with her.
Philip Schofield has slammed accusations of 'toxicity' at This Morning, and strenuously denied he is a bully, following his affair revelations.The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, hit out at a “toxic” culture at the flagship ITV daytime show, saying he raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” two years ago when he worked there – and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing. Former This Morning presenter Eamon Holmes also told GB News this week that "the toxicity is you", referring to Phillip, and criticising his "controlling, coercive behaviour." In a letter on Wednesday, ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall said that an external review conducted following a complaint made by Dr Ranj found “no evidence of bullying or discrimination”.
Phillip Schofield has broken his silence on the "massive guilt" he is feeling following the affair scandal with a younger male colleague whilst he was presenting This Morning.
Phillip Schofield asked 'do you want me to die?' in an interview following the revelation of his affair with a younger male ITV colleague.
ITV boss Carolyn McCall will face a grilling from the UK’s influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMS) next week over the Phillip Schofield scandal.
K.J. Yossman ITV CEO Carolyn McCall has been asked to give evidence to the Parliamentary committee for Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) over an affair between former ITV anchor Phillip Schofield and a young employee. The CMS Committee requested McCall’s presence in a letter published today. Read the full letter below: Thank you for your letter of 31 May 2023 setting out ITV’s response to the reports of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and a young employee on the This Morning programme.The Committee regards the media industry’s duty of care towards its staff a matter of the highest importance. Whilst the recent coverage focuses on the Schofield case, it also raises fundamental issues about safeguarding and complaint handling both at ITV and more widely across the media. These issues should, particularly in the case of Public Service Broadcasters, be open to scrutiny.The public must have confidence in the robustness of Public Service Broadcasters’ safeguarding procedures. Whilst these are issues that we want to discuss first with ITV, we will also consider them in our regular scrutiny sessions with other Public Service Broadcasters, including the BBC later this month and Channel 4 later in the year.With this in mind, we look forward to meeting with you at 10am on Wednesday 14th June so that we can raise these issues with you directly. This will enable the session previously scheduled with ITV and other commercial Public Service Broadcasters on 6th June to focus on its intended purpose of scrutinising the Government’s draft Media Bill.It is incumbent upon all media organisations to demonstrate how seriously they take their responsibilities and your appearance before the Committee will enable ITV to do so.
ITV has hired a leading employment lawyer to conduct an investigation into Phillip Schofield's departure from This Morning, and the scandal that followed his admittance to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger colleague. A letter from ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall to the head of Ofcom and Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, obtained by the PA news agency, sees Carolyn write that Jane Mulcahy KC will "carry out an external review of the facts." It comes after ITV revealed it had investigated rumours of the relationship three years ago but was lied to by Phillip and didn't find any evidence of a relationship "beyond hearsay and rumour." Here is the letter from Dame Carolyn McCall to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chairwoman, Dame Caroline Dinenage, and Ofcom chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, in full: "Dear Lucy, Dame Caroline, and Dame Melanie, "You will have seen the significant media coverage concerning Phillip Schofield.