Dan Walker has shared his hope for This Morning as he weighed in on the “baffling” events surrounding the beleaguered ITV daytime show.
The 46-year-old former BBC Breakfast host has appeared on the show as a guest a few times in the past, and confessed he was surprised by the huge impact that Phillip Schofield’s controversial departure has had.
This Morning has been embroiled in an ongoing scandal since the veteran TV host quit hosting duties in May, and then confessed to a bombshell secret affair with a younger employee which led to the show coming under intense scrutiny.
Allegations of a “toxic” atmosphere on set were made, and former hosts, including Eamonn Holmes, made a series of accusations against Phil and Holly Willoughby, who is still presenting the daytime show.
ITV bosses were hauled in front of MPs recently and grilled over the investigation into Phil’s affair with the much younger male employee, and questions about the future of This Morning have been raised.
Despite the furore surrounding the beloved daytime show, Dan hopes This Morning “stays on the landscape”.
“I just hope it’s resolved, that’s basically what I think about it,” he told the Express.
“I just hope that it stays on the landscape because I think it’s an important programme, which has had a really big impact on a lot of people, and I think you can tell that by how many people are upset by what’s gone on,” Dan added.
He said the intense scrutiny following Phil’s departure “shows what an important part TV plays in our culture… and society”, but was confused as to why the focus was still on the controversy.
“In a world where there’s a lot of bad stuff happening, it slightly baffles me that it’s front page news every day,” he shared.
Dan made the move from BBC Breakfast to 5 News on Channel 5, and on the one-year anniversary of his departure from the popular morning show, he said he’s delighted with the job so far.
“I put my heart and soul into it, which I do every time I'm in the office, I work really hard at making sure that we do things in the right way,” he stated.
