Phillip Schofield breaks silence on This Morning row insisting ‘there was no toxicity’ and blaming ‘people with grudges’
PHILLIP Schofield has broken his silence on This Morning's explosive row and denied there was "toxicity" behind-the-scenes.
The axed star spoke out a day after TV's Dr Ranj sensationally claimed there is a culture of bullying at the ITV show.
And it comes after it was reported that eight ITV stars complained about Phillip to top bosses in 2019, with ex This Morning host Eamonn Holmes also launching a fresh attack on Phil after his affair with a teen colleague.
Today, Schofield described working on the show for 21 years as being part of a "family" and insisted complaints were coming from those with "a grudge" against him.
He penned on Instagram: "Now I no longer work on this morning I am free to say this.
"I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me all the show who seem to have the loudest voice.
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"This morning is the best show to work on with the best people. In all the years I worked there, there was no toxicity.
"You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like.
"But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew hundreds of presenters and contributors all now. It is a family of wonderful talented, kind hard-working people."
Dr Ranj took to Instagram on Sunday to tell fans he had thought “long and hard” about opening up on his experiences at This Morning, but was desperate to “clarify” what happened.
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In the social media statement, Dr Ranj claimed that he “raised concerns” about Phillip and show producer Martin Frizell before being used “less and less” as a guest.
“I was on the show for ten years and I genuinely loved and valued working there,” Dr Ranj said.
“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.
Read more on Phillip Schofield:
- Phillip Schofield admitted he had affair with a much younger male This Morning employee,
- The star is photographed with teen colleague in 2018
- Schofield apologises to his wife Stephanie Lowe,
- Read Schofield's statement in full,
- The star's agency revealed why they dropped him,
- Holly Willoughby is determined to 'ride out' the scandal
- Schofield resigned from ITV and stepped down from presenting the British Soap Awards,
- Eamonn Holmes spoke out before launching another attack on Schofield,
- Rylan Clark shared a cryptic post hours after the affair bombshell.
“So I did what I thought was right and, as ITV confirmed last night, I raised my concerns about Martin’s behaviour (and the environment at TM) with Emma Gormley [managing director] especially given that my job is to look after people’s well being and I had been heavily involved in diversity, anti-bullying and mental health projects across the channel.”
“I then found myself being used less and less.”
Dr Ranj went on to reveal he took his concerns directly to the top of ITV.
He added: “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.”
He said that show bosses “assured” him his complaints were being investigated and “changes made” - but failed to see the changes he was looking for.
“That was two years ago, and frankly, it still hurts,” Dr Ranj concluded.
“The whole process was pretty heartbreaking and even affected my mental health.
“I sincerely hope something good comes from all this.”
Following his statement, ITV bosses admitted they previously looked into Dr Ranj's claims.
A spokeswoman said: “Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed someone to carry out an external review and the review found no evidence to support the complaint of bullying.”
Schofield initially quit This Morning amid a feud with co-star Holly Willoughby following his brother's sex abuse trial.
Days later, he made a bombshell revelation about the "consensual on-off relationship" with a teen colleague - and quit ITV altogether.
Over the course of a dramatic few days ITV has consistently defended This Morning and its handling of the affair, but admitted to secretly investigating rumours three years ago.
However, senior producers now fear an exodus of regular presenters from the roster, which includes Rochelle Humes and Alison Hammond.
Holly, 42, is due to return to the sofa on June 5 after her half-term break and is hoping to withstand the storm after slamming Phil for "lying" to her over the affair.
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She said she confronted him over the claims and branded his deception “very hurtful”.
