Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary have been hosting This Morning while Holly Willoughby enjoys an extended half-term break but despite the show landing in the headlines, Phillip Schofield's scandal has brought the presenters "closer together".
On Friday, the presenters addressed the ongoing Phillip scandal and his interview with BBC's Amol Rajan as the former ITV presenter spoke about his affair and the subsequent fall out.
Alison was visibly moved and began to cry as This Morning aired clips from the interview while Dermot was by her side throughout.
Body language expert Darren Stanton claims Alison and Dermot ‘torn’ after "bottling up emotions".
“Alison’s face was completely solemn as she spoke about her former colleague Phillip on This Morning today. You could see she was very emotional before she started the piece to camera. Dermot held it together, but by the latter end of the interview, he also appeared very emotional," he said, speaking on behalf of Spin Genie.
"It’s clear he is deeply affected by the situation. I feel that the two are torn by the fact that they worked with Phillip for many years, and having to present the show. However, it’s apparent that they are very much there for each other, and it’s actually brought Dermot and Alison together.
“Alison’s tears were from someone who had been bottling up their emotions. It demonstrates that she has a lot of empathy and is a very caring person. Dermot also looked visibly emotional as the segment came to an end.”
The body language expert believes the current This Morning crisis has brought Alison and Dermot closer as they work together to host the show they love.
Discussing Friday's This Morning, he said: "You could see the emergence of sadness and emotion increasing. As the interview went on, [Alison] obviously couldn’t hold it in anymore."
“Overall, I believe the situation has brought Alison and Dermot closer together as a team," he claimed.
"They will definitely come out of this a lot stronger as presenters. People tend to build trust and rapport in difficult and extreme circumstances, which is what has happened between the pair. I think this will help strengthen their personal relationship, and give them a strong foundation to build on.”
Alison and Dermot are expected to return to This Morning on Friday as planned while Holly returns to the show on Monday.
She will be joined by Josie, who will reportedly also present on Tuesday with Craig Doyle stepping in with Holly on Wednesday and Thursday.
