Carol McGiffin has hit out at ITV bosses and said the atmosphere with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby is "cut-throat," as the Loose Women star opened up on her experiences in working for the major broadcaster after her sudden departure earlier this year.
The 63-year-old regular panellist made a shock exit from Loose Women after stepping down from the popular ITV daytime show following more than 20 years on screen, and she hasn't been holding back on her opinions.
According to reports in the Mirror, Carol described working at ITV as "cut-throat, competitive and ruthless" as she revealed the "dysfunctional" set-up behind the scenes which comes following Phillip Schofields abrupt exit from This Morning.
It comes as Carol previously slammed Phillip, saying he was "fake" after his relationship with a younger colleague at This Morning came to light.
Phillip, 61, stepped down from ITV after 21 years when it was revealed he had lied about an affair with a younger male colleague.
Speaking in her column for Best magazine, Carol said: "They go on about the ' ITV Daytime Family' being cosy best mates, all caring and kind, but in my opinion it's about as dysfunctional as they come.
"It's cut-throat, competitive and ruthless, and can be quite unpleasant, and as soon as your face doesn't fit anymore, or you disagree with their narrative, you're out the door."
Carol previously talked about Phil and his former co-star and friend Holly Willoughby during an interview with GB News host Dan Wootton.
When asked if they were nice to her while she was on This Morning, Carol said: "Phillip was there but he wasn’t very nice, to be honest.
"He treated me as though it’s like ‘oh another Loose Woman with another book’ and I kind of get that but it was just like he was so not interested that it was a struggle.
"I was giggling and laughing actually because I couldn’t believe he was being so bloody rude."
She went on to explain that while that was her only negative experience with him, she’d heard stories about Phillip being "unpleasant to a lot of people".
Phillip stepped down from all of his hosting commitments at ITV when the controversial romance came to the attention of the public and his nearest and dearest.
Since the news, Phil has given several interviews where he has apologised for everyone who has been affected by the situation.
Meanwhile, co-star Holly has returned to present This Morning as she addressed the "hurt" that has been left by her former colleague and friend alongside the emotional support of her colleague Josie Gibson.
The 42-year-old presenting star was on the ITV couch with Craig Doyle on Wednesday, with many fans of the show deeming them the "perfect fit" together as Phil's full-time replacement is still in speculation.
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