BREAKING NEWS ITV ‘did NOT cover-up evidence of Phillip Schofield’s affair with This Morning runner before star quit’, external review finds

ITV made ‘considerable efforts’ to find out the truth about an alleged relationship between Phillip Schofield and a runner on This Morning in 2019 but was ‘unable to uncover the relevant evidence’ until Schofield’s admission in late May 2023, an external review has found.

Schofield ‘reluctantly declined’ to take part in an external review into the circumstances surrounding his departure from ITV because of ‘the risk to his health,’ the report added.

Jane Mulcahy KC said that she has been informed Schofield’s mental health has since deteriorated.

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on the sofa on ITV’s This Morning on February 2

Schofield and Willoughby are pictured either side of the man with whom he had an affair

She also found: ‘I have no doubt that senior management are absolutely wedded to the importance of an open culture.

‘But this culture is still not filtering down to junior employees, many of whom remain convinced that to speak out will have a detrimental impact on their careers.’

Ms Mulcahy added that 55 interviews were carried out for the report, which involved speaking to 48 people – seven twice.

The KC said: ‘Only one person to whom I spoke had any knowledge of an affair’ between Schofield and the colleague ‘prior to May 2023 (they became aware in 2021) and that former junior employee did not report their knowledge at the time. Nor did others report suspicions from much earlier in 2017’.

Schofield admitted the relationship with a younger male colleague (pictured together)

Schofield is pictured in West London on October 12 after Willoughby also quit This Morning

ITV chairman Andy Costlett said today that ‘the KC informed the board that for the period under review there was ‘no finding of a ‘toxic’ culture and had there been one [she] would have said so’.’ 

Schofield resigned from ITV in May and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to the ‘unwise but not illegal’ relationship with a younger male colleague.

Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes and the show’s former resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh both separately made allegations about the culture behind the scenes at the programme in the wake of Schofield’s departure.

More to follow 

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