ITV
Holly willoughby made an emotional return to This morning On Monday, she opened the show with a monologue in which she said she was “shaken, upset, disappointed” by co-host Philip Scofield.
In her first on-air comments about the scandal engulfing the iconic ITV daytime show, Willoughby spoke in a cracked voice and had to be comforted by co-presenter Josie Gibson after she gave her minute-long speech to viewers.
“It feels really weird sitting here without an elephant,” she said of her old friend, who had resigned. This morning Last month and later he admitted to having a sexual relationship with a young runner.
She added, “I imagine you might have been feeling a lot as I did: shaken, agitated, let down. Worried about people’s well-being on all sides of what’s going on and full of questions. You and I and we’re all that.” This morning Offer our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, and who acted in such a way that they themselves felt compelled to resign from ITV and give up a career they loved. This is a lot to deal with and it’s also hard to see the toll this is taking on their mental health.
“I think what unites us all now is the desire to heal for the health and well-being of all. I hope that as we begin this new chapter, and return to the place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other. And from my heart, may I Just to say thank you for all your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning.”
Scofield admitted to concealing his relationship with Willoughby and his colleagues. In an interview with the BBC last week, the presenter said he felt suicidal as a result of the scandal, which was his “biggest painful secret”. He denied allegations that he groomed the runner, whom he first met at the age of 15 while opening a theater school.
ITV hired a lawyer to investigate what was known about the relationship and whether its safeguards were all right. ITV chief executive Caroline McCall will face questioning from the British Parliament’s influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee next week over the scandal.
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