Josie Gibson will present alongside Holly Willoughby on ITV's This Morning next week following Phillip Schofield's exit. At the end of Friday's show (June 2), Alison Hammond said Big Brother star Gibson will partner the returning Holly on Monday's show.
But at this stage it's unclear if Gibson will be a permanent replacement for Schofield. It comes after host Phillip, who presented the flagship ITV show for 21 years, admitted to having an affair with a "much younger ITV colleague" just a week after quitting This Morning.
He was subsequently dropped by his talent agency YMU after the affair, which was not illegal, and stepped down from ITV completely – meaning he would no longer host the British Soap Awards next week. Following the admission, ITV bosses were said to have been left utterly shocked, with senior staff at the channel accusing Phil of "lying at every level".
Holly later said she was "hurt" over Phil's statement, reports the Mirror Online. She wrote on Instagram: "It's taken time to process yesterday's news.
"When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie. Holly."
Phil's revelation sparked accusations of a "toxic" atmosphere behind the scenes on This Morning, with some TV chiefs suggesting to the Mirror that the programme could be axed as it has been "tarnished beyond repair".
Yet Phillip hit back at the claims in a bombshell statement slamming his former co-stars. Issuing a statement, he insisted that there was no toxicity and that it is "the same handful of people with a grudge against [him] or the show who seem to have the loudest voice".
In a post on Instagram in view of his 2.9 million followers, Schofield 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."
However, this sparked the ire of former co-star Eamonn Holmes, who branded Phillip "delusional" in a bitter war of words
Eamonn - who left This Morning under a dark cloud with Ruth Langsford in 2021 - went on to make a series of bombshell accusations against Phillip and ITV in an interview with GB News' Dan Wootton.
Phillip has not responded to any of the claims.
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