Phillip Schofield insists ‘no toxicity’ at This Morning and hits back at ‘handful of people with a grudge’

In his first statement since quitting on Friday over his affair with a younger male staff member at ITV, he hit back at claims of a toxic work environment at the flagship morning show.

The Instagram statement came half an hour before the start of Monday’s edition, fronted temporarily by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary. Schofield’s co-host Holly Willoughby is due to return to duties next week.

The statement read: “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.

"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, hard working people."

Schofield hit back after former This Morning star Dr Ranj has hit out at the show's "toxic" culture.

Ranj Singh, who used to be the show's resident doctor, said he raised concerns about "bullying and discrimination" two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was "managed out" for whistleblowing.

Dr Ranj said on Twitter and Instagram: "I was on the show for 10 years and I genuinely loved and valued working there. 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 TM (This Morning) go far beyond him.

"It takes more than one person to create a culture."

Dr Ranj said he raised his concerns with senior executives at ITV as he had been heavily involved in "diversity, anti-bullying and mental health projects" across the channel.

"I then found myself being used less and less," he continued.

"I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV: 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.

"But as history and experience have taught us, things like bullying and discrimination are very hard to prove, particularly in hindsight and when the 'people in power' control the narrative.

"As we've seen, no review or investigation is foolproof."

The doctor said he was assured that things would be addressed and changes made but he has not worked on the show since - adding it "still hurts" two years on from lodging complaints.

An ITV spokesperson said: "We are sorry to read Dr Ranj's post today. At ITV we are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have.

"Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent advisor to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination."

It came as it was alleged the ITV employee with whom Schofield had an affair was 15 when he first met the This Morning presenter during a school visit.

Schofield (61) quit the broadcaster entirely after admitting that he lied to ITV, his colleagues, his lawyers and his agent over the nature of his relationship with a much younger male colleague.

In a statement on Friday, Schofield said he had an “unwise” but “not illegal” relationship with a colleague who worked on This Morning.

An ITV spokesperson said the channel felt “badly let down” by Schofield and accepted his resignation. Meanwhile, his former co-host Willoughby said it had been “very hurtful” to learn he lied to her, after she apparently asked him directly about rumours of his affair were true.

According to the latest report by The Mail on Sunday, Schofield’s former colleague was allegedly just 15 when they met at a talk the TV presenter was giving at a theatre school, while Schofield was in his late 40s.

The teenager apparently asked him about job prospects, and Schofield later arranged an interview for him with the broadcaster, which then hired him as a production assistant when he turned 18.

By this point, Schofield was in his early 50s. In his statement, he said that what was initially a friendship turned into “more” after the teenager began working on the show.

“That relationship was unwise, but not illegal,” he said. “It is now over.”

Lawyers representing Schofield confirmed to the Evening Standard that he met the boy when he was 15, but said that the affair began when he started working at ITV, after he turned 18.

Schofield’s statement denied any knowledge of an “injunction, super or otherwise”, that might have prevented his affair being made public.

He also denied having any involvement in the colleague leaving the show to work on other ITV projects.

According to the Mail on Sunday, ITV first began investigating rumours of an inappropriate relationship between Schofield and his colleague after he “declared his love for Phil in no uncertain terms” during an awards ceremony.

An ITV spokesperson confirmed this week that the broadcaster investigated in early 2020 after “rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate”.

“Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Phillip’s then-agency YMU,” the spokesperson said.

“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... 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.”