Dermot O’Leary has thanked fans for their support after he and Alison Hammond took on the reigns of This Morning.
The pair were the midweek faces of the ITV daytime show this week and last, after Phillip Schofield resigned from the show with immediate effect and Holly Willoughby took an early holiday.
Dermot and Alison have hosted the show amid the continued fallout of Phil’s resignation – and his bombshell confession that he lied about having an affair with a much younger male runner on the show.
It hasn’t been an easy ride for the pair, whose 35-second tribute to Phil on the Monday after he left making headlines for how brief it was.
They also had to acknowledge the fact This Morning was making news of its own as they hosted the show, and on Friday Alison was reduced to tears talking about the fallout after Phillip took part in interviews with The Sun and the BBC.
Despite it all however, Dermot has described the last two weeks as a ‘privilege’.
Taking to Instagram, the 50-year-old shared a series of snaps from his and Alison’s time hosting, including meeting the cast of Spitting Image and interviewing Sir Ian McKellen.
He wrote: ‘Been a privilege to co-host TM with Alison for you all this week, and on behalf of an incredible crew and team, thanks for all the love!’
The presenter was flooded with praise from viewers declaring he and Alison had done a ‘great job,’ and many calling for them to have a permanent place.
It has been confirmed that Holly will return to the sofa on Monday, this time joined by Josie Gibson as co-host.
Since Phillip’s confession that he had lied about having an affair with the younger man in a situation he called ‘unwise but not illegal,’ Holly has stayed out of the spotlight, spending time with her family in Portugal.
She did, however, write a short statement 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.’
Schofield corroborated her story. He told The Sun: ‘Holly did not know (about the romance). And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, ‘I am so, so sorry that I lied to you.’
He added: ‘I’ve lost my best friend. I let her down [Holly].’
Phillip Schofield's tell-all interview: The key points
Phillip Schofield bared all in interviews with The Sun and BBC amid the fallout of confessing to an affair with a This Morning runner. Here is what he said:
'I did not groom him'
Schofield insists he is not a groomer, saying that while he met the former colleague while he was a teenager, their interactions were innocent and only became sexual when the runner was around 20/21 years old.
He said it never felt like an 'abuse of power' because they were 'mates'.
The affair began in 2017
He has said that the affair began after a ‘consensual moment’ in his dressing room.
‘It was not a love affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates,' he insisted. ‘It wasn’t feelings (I was getting), it was more like mates: excitement.’
His wife is 'very, very angry'
The affair took place while Schofield was married to wife Stephanie Lowe, with whom he shares two daughters.
On the moment he told his wife, he said: ‘She got off a plane and I phoned her up and texted saying, “I need to talk to you”. She called back and I told her. She was very, very angry.’
Schofield still wears his wedding ring, but explained that he and Stephanie are 'separated'.
His daughters saved his life
Schofield confessed to feeling suicidal amid the fallout of his affair and the 'relentless' media attention.
His two daughters - Molly, 29, and Ruby, 27 - have been 'afraid' to leave his side and warned him: 'Don't you dare do this on our watch.'
'If it hadn’t been for my girls last week, I wouldn’t be here.'
He has apologised to Holly Willoughby
After rumours of a fallout between the pair and after Holly Willoughby said she was lied to by Schofield after asking him about his affair, he has apologised to his former co-presenter.
He said: ‘I’ve lost my best friend. I let her down (Holly). I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down.
‘Holly did not know (about the romance). And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, "I am so, so sorry that I lied to you".'
He will 'die sorry' to the runner he had the affair with
‘I have massive guilt, and regret. I’ve made a mistake, I’ve had an affair at work. I think my greatest apology must go to him. It has brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life, his totally innocent family, his totally innocent friends.
‘It has brought the greatest grief to them.’
The colleague has not been named in the press for his privacy.
No pay-offs
Schofield denied allegations that the runner received hush money from ITV, saying the promotion he got wasn't to 'move him on' but because of his own talents.
He also insisted that the young man did not sign an NDA preventing him from speaking out.
Comparing age gap backlash to ‘homophobia'
‘So yeah, there’s a difference. It’s accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s not accepted if it’s in the gay world,' he said of age differences.
‘Attraction is attraction. It’s no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world. There shouldn’t be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in.’
Eamonn Holmes is an 'angry' man
After Eamonn Holmes made a series of strong allegations against Schofield, he said the Irish TV presenter is just 'angry' he's not on This Morning anymore.
He also continuously denied that This Morning is 'toxic'.
Doesn't think he'll work in TV again
Schofield said it 'breaks [my] heart' to talk about TV in the past tense, but he doesn't see a way back for him.
‘I do not think I will be able to walk down a street ever again. It is like everybody knows.
‘I’ve lost everything. It’s all gone,’ he said frankly.
‘Telly was my safe space, the one thing I loved. Now I don’t know if I will ever work on telly again.’
MORE : Holly Willoughby couldn’t look happier on holiday after Phillip Schofield reveals they don’t speak
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