ITV bosses ask barrister to hold external review into Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning

Alison Hammond was showered with support from fans as she broke her period of social media silence to reveal she had taken on a 'new job' away from This Morning. The presenter has been quiet on her social media platforms since the daytime show was embroiled in the scandal involving former host Phillip Schofield.

K.J. Yossman On Wednesday morning, ITV boss Carolyn McCall appeared in front of a Parliamentary committee to be grilled over the network’s culture and duty of care in the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal. Schofield, a long-time anchor on ITV’s flagship daytime show “This Morning,” resigned last month in ignominy shortly before admitting to an affair with a young male runner on the show while he was married (Schofield has two adult daughters with his wife, Stephanie). Some have questioned the intensity of the coverage, which has unsurprisingly taken a mental toll on both Schofield and his former lover, especially since the affair was, in the anchor’s own words, “unwise but not illegal.” But there are a number of elements – not least the runner’s age – that catalyzed the media tsunami that now threatens to take down not only Schofield but his former co-host Holly Willoughby as well as various network executives including McCall.

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.

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.

As questions continue to be asked following Phillip Schofield resigning from ITV and admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague, we take a look at the key players at the broadcaster along with former This Morning presenters. Dame Carolyn McCall Dame Carolyn became ITV’s first female chief executive when she joined in 2018.

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.

ITV tonight launch an external inquiry into Phillip Schofield's relationship with a much younger colleague in an attempt to save embattled This Morning. In a humiliating climbdown, the channel told its employees, following a crisis staff meeting, that it has begun a review, which will be led by a barrister as the pressure mounts for the bosses to tell what they knew and when about the affair.

Eamonn Holmes has claimed that one sentence about Covid-19 got him sacked from This Morning after 15 years of presenting the show on Fridays alongside his wife, Ruth Langsford. The 63 year old, who now presents the GB News breakfast show, appeared on GB News' Dan Wootton Tonight for a bombshell interview in which he blasted Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and ITV itself, amidst ongoing talk of a "toxic" culture at the broadcasting channel.

ITV has instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts following Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning and subsequent press statements, chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall has said in a letter seen by the PA news agency.The letter was sent to culture secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom’s chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, in the wake of Phillip's departure from ITV last week. Phillip, 61, resigned from the broadcaster on Friday and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.The letter mentions the “significant media coverage concerning Phillip Schofield” and adds that: “As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend.” It says that ITV records show that “when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in late 2019/early 2020 ITV investigated.” “Both parties were questioned then and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Phillip’s then agency YMU.

Phillip Schofield has broken his silence after he admitted last week to an affair with a younger man who worked on This Morning. the show.

Former This Morning host Phillip Schofield has broken his silence on reports of a toxic culture at the ITV daytime show. In a statement on his Instagram story, 61 year old Phillip said: "Now I no longer work on @thismorning I am free to say this. "I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.

Phillip Schofield's career is in tatters in a sensational fall from grace after his departure from ITV's This Morning last week.The presenter has faced intensifying scrutiny in recent weeks over his off-screen relationship with co-star Holly Willoughby, as well as seeing his brother, Tim Schofield, being jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing a boy. But it all reached a climax when he announced he was stepping away from his role on This Morning after 21 years, with the headlines not stopping since his departure from the show.This includes a statement he made to the Daily Mail on Friday, where he admitted to lying to his wife, management, legal team, and ITV over his relationship with a younger male ITV employee.

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have been dominating headlines for weeks now since news of their rumoured feud broke, with things coming to a head when the latter stepped down from their long-term hosting gig at This Morning last week. Phillip confirmed that things may be on the rocks between himself and Holly early this month with a bombshell statement which stated that things "haven't been easy" between the pair, but continued to put on a united front with Holly for the show until his exit.

This Morning has been a very different place over the last few days after Phillip Schofield announced that he was leaving the show he had hosted for 21 years. But now, details have emerged of his return to TV for the first time since his exit from ITV1's flagship daytime programme.

ITV has shared a statement addressing the rumours that Holly Willoughby was involved in Phillip Schofield's This Morning exit.

ITV's This Morning has removed Phillip Schofield from the show's opening credits following the presenter's sudden exit at the weekend. After announcing his departure from This Morning just days ago, after 21 years at the helm, Phil was removed from the title credits for the first show since his announcement, which was hosted by Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.

Holly Willoughby stunned fans as she posed in a flattering powder pink Marks and Spencer suit which she says is 'perfect' for warm Summer evenings. The 42-year-old presenter is taking a break away from ITV's This Morning after co-host Phillip Schofield sensationally 'stepped away' from the show for good on Sunday.

Eamonn Holmes has broken his silence after Phillip Schofield announced he was stepping down from This Morning after 21 years on Saturday. Earlier this week, former This Morning presenter Eamonn, 63, branded Holly Willoughby and Phillip, 61, as "actors" in scathing comments as he discussed their reported "feud" - prior to Phil's exit. And on Saturday night, just hours after Phillip announced he was stepping down from This Morning, Eamonn, who used to host the ITV show with wife Ruth Langsford, broke his silence on social media.

Phillip Schofield was told that his contract at This Morning would not be renewed just minutes after coming off air on Thursday, it has been claimed.The 61-year-old announced on Saturday that would not be returning to the hit ITV1 daytime show after hosting it for over two decades. His announcement came after weeks of speculation that his friendship with co-presenter Holly Willoughby, 42, had ended after they hosted the show together for nearly 14 years.

After 21 years on ours screens as the host of This Morning, Phillip Schofield officially announced his resignation effective immediately on Saturday. Sharing the news via a pre-written statement on social media, Phil said: “I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story.