Phillip Schofield – latest: Holly Willoughby’s This Morning statement torn apart by David Baddiel

ITV presenter’s statement addressing the scandal surrounding her former co-host was ridiculed by some viewers for being ‘dramatic’

Holly Willoughby addresses Phillip Schofield controversy for the first time on This Morning

Comedian David Baddiel has mocked Holly Willoughby’s statement about the Phillip Schofield saga on Twitter.

“When Holly Willoughby said ‘Firstly, are you OK?’ I genuinely thought she was talking to someone behind camera, before realising that of course she was talking to us,” he wrote on Twitter.

MP John Nicholson also mocked Willoughby’s opening statement from Monday’s episode of This Morning during a Culture, Media and Sport Committee taking place in Parliament on Tuesday (6 June).

The latest episode of the ITV daytime show opened with no mention of Schofield, in stark contrast to yesterday’s broadcast, which saw Willoughby give an emotional statement addressing the scandal surrounding her former co-host.

Schofield, 61, gave an interview to the BBC last week, where he described the impact of the media onslaught since he admitted to having a relationship with a much younger This Morning employee while he was still married.

Stars including Piers Morgan, Jeremy Clarkson and Rupert Everett have all questioned the intensity of the backlash against Schofield. Writing in his column over the weekend, former Top Gear star Clarkson said he was “baffled” by the uproar.

Phillip Schofield latest news

• This Morning viewers react to Holly Willoughby’s ‘ridiculous’ Phillip Schofield speech
• ‘Baffled’ Jeremy Clarkson hits out at Phillip Schofield ‘witch hunt’

[7 June 2023 05:30 · Peony Hirwani]

‘Shaken, troubled’: Holly Willoughby’s This Morning statement in full

Willoughby returned to the programme on Monday (5 June) after a two-week break, and addressed the absence of her disgraced former co-host.

Here’s her statement in full.

[7 June 2023 05:00 · Inga Parkel]

WATCH: This Morning’s editor has aubergine-centred response when asked about toxic environment on set

[7 June 2023 04:00 · Inga Parkel]

VOICES: My boss said he’d sack me if I didn’t flirt – I bet Schofield and Clarkson never had to deal with that

Don’t dismiss the Phillip Schofield scandal as a ‘workplace affair’. It’s more than that, especially when you’re in it like I was, writes Allegra Chapman.

Read more:

(PA Archive)

Don’t dismiss the Phillip Schofield scandal as a ‘workplace affair’. It’s more than that, especially when you’re in it like I was, writes Allegra Chapman

[7 June 2023 03:00 · Inga Parkel]

WATCH: Phillip Schofield reveals why he made affair public

[7 June 2023 02:30 · Inga Parkel]

The 5 biggest takeaways from Phillip Schofield’s BBC interview

On Friday 2 June, the BBC broadcasted an interview between Phillip Schofield and the Today programme’s Amol Rajan.

In the 43-minute-long conversation, the former This Morning host shared some insight into his affair with a “much younger” colleague, and his feelings on the subsequent fallout.

As well as denying paying anyone off to conceal the nature of his relationship with the coworker, Schofield also revealed that his mental health had taken a severe decline.

Here are five major takeaways from the interview:

(BBC)

Former ‘This Morning’ host said his career is ‘done’, and that he thinks the ‘massive’ backlash is due to homophobia

[7 June 2023 02:00 · Inga Parkel]

Alison Hammond breaks down while discussing ‘painful’ Phillip Schofield interview

Holly Willoughby is not the first This Morning presenter to have displayed emotion publicly in the wake of Phillip Schofield’s departure.

On Friday’s edition (2 June) of the show, Alison Hammond addressed Schofield’s interviews in which he admitted to having lied about an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a “much younger” colleague.

Speaking with co-host Dermot O’Leary, Hammond admitted how “painful” she found the situation. “Obviously, I loved Phillip Schofield and it’s weird because I still love Phillip Schofield.

Isobel Lewis has the full report:

(This Morning/ITV)

‘As a family, we’re all really struggling to process everything,’ presenter said

[7 June 2023 01:30 · Inga Parkel]

Holly Willoughby has awkward on-air moment with Ruth Langsford after Eamonn Holmes’s This Morning criticism

Watch the moment Holly Willoughby had an awkward on-air encounter with Ruth Langsford, whose husband has been outwardly critical of Ms Willoughby following.

(ITV )

Watch the moment Holly Willoughby had an awkward on-air encounter with Ruth Langsford, whose husband has been outwardly critical of Ms Willoughby following. During This Morning, Ms Willoughby had to hand over to Ms Langsford to preview her show Loose Woman, with both smiling through the palpable tension. Eamonn Holmes has branded Ms Willoughby a “big mouth” and even called her to be sacked after it became public knowledge that Philip Schofield lied about an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague. Meanwhile, Holly Willoughby and Ruth Langsford continue to both work on ITV’s daytime flagship talkshows.

[7 June 2023 01:00 · Inga Parkel]

Caroline Flack’s mother Christine issues strong advice to Phillip Schofield

The mother of the late Love Island host Caroline Flack, who took her own life three years ago, has issued a heartfelt plea to Phillip Schofield: “Wait to see what happens and don’t do anything stupid.”

Read more:

(Dave Benett/Getty Images for JW )

Christine Flack claims ITV has not learnt lessons from her daughter’s suicide

[7 June 2023 00:30 · Inga Parkel]

Phillip Schofield claims he ‘understands how Caroline Flack felt’ after This Morning departure

[7 June 2023 00:00 · Inga Parkel]

Piers Morgan defends Schofield again

The former ITV star has urged people to lay off Schofield while suggesting he “probably shouldn’t have” compared himself to Caroline Flack in a recent BBC interview.

(YouTube)

Former ‘Good Morning Britain’ host has been speaking out in defence of the disgraced ITV star