Piers Morgan has reportedly taken the “ultimate revenge” on ITV with his new show.
The presenter quit Good Morning Britain in March 2021 after refusing to apologise for his controversial remarks about Meghan Markle.
After completing the recording of his final series of ITV’s Life Stories, his time with the channel has officially come to an end.
However, according to a report, the presenter has “nicked all the best people” from ITV, including GMB’s director of eight years.
“Piers has dealt the ultimate revenge by taking their stars,” a source told MailOnline.
“He has only hired the people who he thinks are the best so this is a really big blow to the channel.”
Morgan will return to TV for a series on new network TalkTV from Rupert Murdoch. The channel is set to launch in the coming months.
The production team he has said to have poached from ITV includes Erron Gordon, who has directed GMB since 2014, the breakfast show’s former deputy editor, Vivek Sharma, and former assistant editor Ben Briscoe.
Others reportedly include Tim Carr, who was This Morning’s floor manager for 25 years, former ITV daytime producer Lindsey Bowers and director Ollie Gardner, who is believed to be deputy head of studio output on Morgan’s new show.
The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.
Morgan stepped away from the ITV series after attracting widespread criticism for comments he made about Markle following her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
He repeatedly claimed that he “didn’t believe a word” Markle said about having suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior royal.
Addressing his departure on GMB, presenter Susanna Reid told viewers: “Piers and I have disagreed on many things, and that dynamic was one of the things that viewers loved about the programme. He is without a doubt an outspoken, challenging, opinionated, disruptive broadcaster.”
