Presenter of This Morning, Holly Willoughby, has broken her silence on the show following her former co-host Phillip Schofield's departure, after it came to light that he'd had an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger staff member at ITV.
In his recent BBC interview, in which he said his career in television is over and expressed that he had been experiencing suicidal thoughts, Schofield apologised to lying about the affair to both his family and colleagues, including Willoughby, who he says was entirely unaware.
Now, Willoughby has returned to the show following a short break, supported by former Big Brother star Josie Gibson as temporary co-host. After thanking Gibson, Willoughby asked the audience if they were okay and said "it feels very strange sitting here without Phil".
"I imagine you might have been feeling a lot like I have, shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides," she continued. "You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth."
At points, Willoughby held Gibson's hand, adding, "They [Schofield] themselves felt they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved... It's hard to see the toll that's taken on their own mental health."
"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."
Fellow presenter Alison Hammond, when appearing on This Morning last week, also appeared emotional as she discussed Schofield's exit, saying. "I'm just finding it really painful because obviously I loved Phillip Schofield... I still love Phillip Schofield, however what's he done is wrong. He's admitted it, he's said sorry, but as a family we're struggling to process everything." Hammond also urged others not to judge him too harshly, referencing the biblical quote 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone'.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
