Alison Hammond broke down in tears on This Morning as the show addressed the Phillip Schofoeld incident. The reaction came after the former This Morning host, Schofield, spoke about the affair that has ended his career in two interviews.
Opening the ITV show today, hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alison responded to his interview with BBC presenter Amol Rajan, and to Phillip's interview with The Sun.
Alison began to cry and said: "I'm finding it really painful, I loved Phillip Schofield, it's weird because I still love Phillip Schofield, however, what he's done is wrong. He's admitted it, he's said sorry, as a family, we're all really struggling to process everything I never know what to say.
"I remember what my mom said, my mom always said 'use your bible as your satnav in life Al, in the bible it says 'he without sin, casts the first stone,' i don't want to say anything bad because I'm in conflict."
Earlier this week, the pair addressed claims that This Morning was a "toxic environment", as they revealed they "love" working on the programme.
Opening the programme on Monday, Dermot said: "We know we have been in the news at the moment. But just from both of us, and the whole team here, the crew, the guys downstairs, we love making this show for all of you."
Alison added: "We really do and that's exactly what we're gonna do - we're continuing to do that."
Regular guest Gyles Brandreth, who was on the sofa, added: "We're very happy to be here, can I say that? This is a happy place to work, I enjoy coming in here. We are happy people in a happy place with interesting stories."
Reflecting on his relationship, Phillip issued an unexpected statement on his social media insisting that while his decision was "not illegal", it was "unwise".
Phillip says he met his ex-lover aged 15 before a 'consensual moment' 5 years later.
"I did not, I did not (groom him)," he told The Sun, before going on to explain that he is aware of the accusations he is facing on social media, insisting that while their relationship was "unwise", he did not groom the man.
Schofield said the affair began in 2017 after a "consensual moment" in his dressing room.
During a BBC News interview, clarifying the nature of their relationship when the former colleague was underage, Amol Rajan asled: "Just be really clear, your relationship between when you met him when he was 15 and then when he was 18 was occasional direct messages… no pictures of each other sent to each other?"
Schofield responded by shaking his head.
Asked whether the messages were flirtatious, the former TV presenter said: "Just work-related, just career advice, career help."
Schofield also agreed there was "no sort of sexual forwardness" at that time by another shake of his head.
Schofield said that while romantic encounters happened at the ITV studios nobody on his team knew about the relationship.
