This Morning editor Martin Frizell has finally broken his silence after Phillip Schofield admitted to having an affair with a young runner and then lied about it.
Following Phillip stepping down from the shoe, the ITV editor has called for some sense of “respite” for his staff after further allegations about This Morning and the culture there unfolded.
Now opening up on the drama surrounding the daytime ITV show, Frizell told Sky News yesterday to “read between the lines” after claims were made by former staff members that the work culture on the show was “toxic”.
He said: “I think there’s some scores being settled.
“All I want to say is, I am working with a fantastic team of mainly women, many mums, a lot of them concerned for their jobs, although we’ve told them not to be.”
The editor added: “But this is the 23rd day now of being on the front page and it’s tiring, they worked all through Covid brilliantly, they worked all through this putting a programme out … and I just think they need a bit of respite now.”
Holly Willoughby is set to address the drama surrounding her This Morning co-star as she returns to the show on Monday.
A TV source has revealed that Holly has personally prepared a statement as she wants viewers to understand how difficult the circumstances have been for those at This Morning.
Holly has not appeared on the show for the last two weeks and during that time, Phillip admitted to having an affair with a young runner for ITV after stepping down from the show.
Wanting to address Phillip’s recent statements, a source told The Sun: “She will be honest and open, mentioning him by name. She’s not shying away from the tricky subject as she wants to show up for the viewers and loyal fans.
“Even though Holly has been on holiday with her family, she has been thinking about it a lot and tried to process the dramatic turn of events.
“She has thought about what she will say and written it in advance, taking her time to get the words right. It’s not something she’s being forced to do.”