Holly Willoughby emotional as she addresses This Morning scandal – latest

Holly Willoughby has made an emotional return to This Morning for the first time since her former co-host, Phillip Schofield, admitted to lying about an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.

The ITV star began by addressing the scandal, admitting she felt “shaken, troubled, let down, and worried” for “the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s going on”.

“I imagine that you might be feeling a lot like I have: shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions,” she began, appearing alongside co-host Josie Gibson.

“You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth. Who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.

“And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.”

Willoughby rounded off her statement by thanking viewers for their kindness and support.

In interviews with the BBC and The Sun last week, Phillip Schofield maintained that Holly Willoughby was unaware of his extra-marital relationship with a younger This Morning colleague.

Schofield also revealed the text message he’d sent to Willoughby after he admitted to the affair, in which he told her not to reply and apologised for not telling her the truth.

Jacob Stolworthy reports:

Phillip Schofield is not thought to have watched Holly Willoughby’s return to This Morning today.

According to reports, the disgraced presenter is not ready to watch the show he formerly hosted, as even the opening theme “would be hugely triggering”.

“His family is being incredibly careful not to have the TV on when he’s in the room to ensure he doesn’t see anything,” a source told The Sun.

“Of course, he is aware Willoughby is back on air today and he absolutely wanted her to shine, and smash it.

“But he physically could not watch – he is not there yet.”

In case you missed it, here is a rundown of Holly Willoughby’s speech upon returning to This Morning, addressing the Phillip Schofield scandal.

Today’s edition of This Morning has undoubtedly attracted more viewers than usual, keen to see how Holly Willoughby would handle the departure of her long-time co-host Phillip Schofield.

After giving a statement in which she admitted it felt “strange” to present without him, Willoughby stated that it is “hard to see” the toll that Schofield’s actions had taken on his mental health and spoke of the This Morning viewers and team moving forward as a united front.

In response, viewers have shared mixed reviews of the host’s take on the scandal.

“Could Holly Willoughby have sounded any less sincere? She could have at least learnt that speech off by heart instead of reading from an autocue!” wrote one Twitter user. Another accused Willoughby of acting, writing: “And the BAFTA for delivering insincerity goes to Holly Willoughby.”

Yet, others were touched by the presenter’s speech and commented on her “brave” actions. “It was really emotion watching @hollywills’s statement on This Morning, it was like losing a parent where we are so used to a team, we now have one voice,” one viewer tweeted. “Holly was really brave… there was a lot not said. But it had love.”

The editor of This Morning gave a bizarre answer when asked by a journalist if there is a “toxic environment” at the ITV show.

“I’ll tell you what’s toxic and I’ve always found it toxic. Aubergine. Do you like aubergine?” Martin Frizell asked as he left his house on Monday 5 June.

“I don’t like aubergine, it’s just a personal thing,” he added, as the reporter repeated the question.

Piers Morgan has questioned the “relentless persecution” of Phillip Schofield after he admitted to having an affair with a younger colleague on This Morning.

On Friday (2 June), the former This Morning host, 61, sat down with the BBC to discuss the scandal surroudning his relationship with an ITV employee working on the daytime series.

Schofield’s admission, which was revealed in a statement last month, saw him dropped by his agents of more than 30 years, YMU. He has since resigned from ITV. Speaking to the BBC, he said he has had suicidal thoughts since sharing the news.

Morgan wrote on Twitter: “Unless Phillip Schofield’s ex-lover contradicts his version of events to The Sun [and the] BBC, then it’s time to stop this relentless persecution of a guy who’s lost everything and looks right on the edge to me.”