Why did Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langford leave This Morning? What GB News host said amid Phillip Schofield row
Eamonn Holmes has spoken out about the atmosphere at This Morning following Phillip Schofield said there was “no toxicity” on the show.
Holmes, who worked at This Morning for 15 years, has been a vocal critic of Schofield on social media and has now been interviewed for GB News.
What happened with Phillip Schofield?
Earlier this month Schofield said: “I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.”
There was no mention of Holly Willoughby in the statement, following rumours of an alleged falling out between the usually close pair.
Following Schofield’s announcement, Willoughby issued her own statement on Instagram in which she wrote: “It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour.
“The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
Schofield’s departure came a day after his brother, Timothy Schofield, was sentenced to 12 years in jail for child sex offences.
However, reports of Mr Schofield’s relationship with a younger man employed at This Morning had been circulating online for some time.
On Friday, Schofield quit ITV and admitted he did have an affair with a younger male ITV employee and had lied to cover it up.
In his statement to the Daily Mail, he said the relationship with the younger colleague “was unwise, but not illegal”.
The affair happened while he was married to his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe. The couple separated in 2020 after Mr Schofield came out as gay.
Mr Schofield added: “I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family.
“I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”
His statement also revealed he was stepping down from ITV with immediate effect and will not host next month’s British Soap Awards as planned.
In response to Mr Schofield’s statement, his agents at YMU Group cut ties with the presenter.
Ms Willoughby, writing on Instagram on Saturday in response to Mr Schofield’s admission, said: “It has taken time to process yesterday’s news.
“When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not.
“It’s been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.”
Following Schofield’s resignation, some former This Morning employees have come out to criticise the broadcaster.
The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, hit out at the daytime show’s “toxic” culture, 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.
What was his statement in full?
“I am making this statement via the Daily Mail, to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story [sic] which they wanted to write about me a few days ago.
“The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning. I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.
“Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than a just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over…
“I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife…
“I am resigning from ITV with immediate effect, expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.
“I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.”
What did ITV say?
On Saturday, ITV said that it had investigated the rumours in early 2020, but Schofield “categorically” denied that it was true.
“Further to our statement last night, ITV can confirm that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated,” a spokesperson for the broadcaster said.
“Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours as did Phillip’s then agency YMU.
“In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.
“Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship.”
What did Eamonn Holmes say?
Eamonn Holmes has alleged that there was a “total cover-up” on This Morning over Schofield’s affair with a young male colleague.
Holmes, who previously presented This Morning on Fridays with wife Ruth Langsford, spoke about the affair on Dan Wootton’s GB News programme on Monday.
He alleged that “those in authority” had to have known what was going on.
“It’s a total cover-up,” he said. “Those in authority had to know what was going on and they thought they would dodge a bullet with this.
“Which they do, and they do constantly, because with Schofield talking about those who speak out against him, namely me, Amanda Holden and you (Dan Wootton), you’ll be included in the toxicity that goes on. Dr Ranj, of course, as well.
“And you simply sit there and think ‘No mate, you’ve had it all your way for too long’.”
In an Instagram post earlier on Monday, Schofield hit back at the critics, saying that there was “no toxicity” on This Morning.
In a post on Instagram, he wrote: “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 know, it IS a family of wonderful, talented, kind and hardworking people.”
Referring to those comments, Holmes instead accused Schofield of “toxicity”.
“I think that Phillip is absolutely right about toxicity,” he said.
“But my friend, the toxicity is not with me, Dan Wootton, or anyone else, the toxicity is with you.”
He added that Schofield “created an atmosphere” on This Morning “where people hated him”.
He said: “This nonsense that he wrote today about toxicity, about how (This Morning) is a happy place or whatever, holy God, what planet does this man live on?
“He created an atmosphere where people hated him.
“People would avoid him in the corridor. He didn’t look at anybody, didn’t know anybody’s name.
“Holly doesn’t know people’s names either. This is legendary within the production team, how distant they are, and how they just don’t care.”
Asked after a trailer for the interview had aired but before it had been played out in full at around 10.30pm, a spokesman for Schofield said: “Phillip has no comment.”
ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment refused to answer questions about Schofield after being pursued on the street by a GB News producer.
In a segment broadcast on Dan Wootton’s GB News show on Monday, producer Ben Leo tracked down ITV’s Kevin Lygo and asked him if there was a “cover-up” of Schofield’s affair with a young male colleague at the station.
He also asked Mr Lygo if he “protected” Schofield.
Mr Lygo walked away from the producer, telling him: “We really have no more to say.”
ITV has been approached for comment.
Why did Eamonn Holmes leave This Morning?
Alongside wife Ruth Langsford, Holmes was a regular fixture on This Morning for 15 years.
However in November 2020, ITV confirmed the duo would be exiting the Friday show, with Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond taking their place.
ITV confirmed at the time that Langsford will continue to work with the broadcaster on other shows.
Prior to leaving Eamonn became embroiled in a scandal after questioning why the “mainstream media” had shut down alleged links between 5G and the coronavirus outbreak.
He has since said that his words were misinterpreted and that he never claimed there was a link, however Ofcom received more than 750 complaints.
“In our view, Eamonn Holmes’ ambiguous comments were ill-judged and risked undermining viewers’ trust in advice from public authorities and scientific evidence,” the regulator said.
When asked if that was the reason for his leaving he told the Daily Mirror last year: “It’s never been mentioned to me. If that was the case, at least that would be a reason. And if Dame EasyJet [ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall, ex-chief exec of EasyJet] had wanted an apology or some sort of explanation, fine. But she never picked up the phone and asked me.
“I’ve never had any communication with Dame Carolyn McCall. And I still stand by those remarks because not once did I say 5G spreads coronavirus. I said that as reporters, we should always question the narrative. And that has never been more obvious than under the No10 regime that has existed from then and beyond.”
His wife Ruth also showed frustration live on ITV when Schofield interrupted her when she was discussing her show Loose Women.
