Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary have addressed claims the atmosphere on This Morning is 'toxic'.
There had been claims over the weekend that there is a 'toxic' atmosphere backstage on the ITV show, but Alison and Dermot directly addressed those claims as they kicked off the show today.
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."
It comes after Phillip Schofield - who has parted ways with ITV after admitting to having an affair with a younger male colleague - released a statement where he said people had a "grudge" against him and slammed claims of toxicity backstage on the show.
In a post on Instagram in view of his 2.9 million followers, he wrote: "Now I no longer work on @thismorning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice. This Morning IS the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there there was no toxicity. You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like.
But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know, it IS a family of wonderful, talented, kind and hardworking people."
His statement came after several former regulars including Dr Ranj spoke out about the "toxic" environment behind the scenes.
In a statement, he said he had filed a formal complaint about an alleged bully on the set of the ITV daytime programme.
"Lots of journalists have been contacting me this weekend enquiring about this, so I think it’s only right that I clarify things. There is so much more I could say, but I hope my concerns will finally be taken seriously, and something good comes from all this," he said.
"I've thought long and hard about posting this. If I'm honest, I wish I didn't have to. But I've got to clarify some things that have been reported about me, and in the light of recent events, I finally feel like I might be believed."
He added: "I was on the show for ten years and I genuinely loved and valued working there. However, over time, I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind-the-scenes and how people, including myself were being treated. I didn't know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with This Morning go far beyond him.
"It takes more than one person to create a culture. So I did what I thought was right and, as ITV confirmed last night, I raised my concerns about Martin Frizell's behaviour (and the environment at This Morning) with Emma Gormley - especially given that my job is to look after people's wellbeing, and I had been heavily involved in diversity, anti-bullying, and mental health projects across the channel. But then I found myself being used less and less. I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV. The culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out."
