Alison Hammond has cried live on This Morning while reacting to the departure of her former colleague, Phillip Schofield.
Schofield stated that he believes his “career is over” as a result of his adultery with a young male colleague.
Hammond stated on Friday’s program that he had apologized and asked that his actions not be judged too harshly.
She stated, “I find it extremely painful because I loved Phillip Schofield.”
“It’s strange that I still adore Phillip Schofield. However, he has acknowledged his wrongdoing and expressed regret.
“However, as a [TV] family, we’re all having a difficult time processing everything, and I never know what to say.”
She continued, “However, I recall what my mother always said: ‘Use the Bible as your GPS in life, Al,’ and the Bible states, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
And I simply do not want to say anything negative because I am evidently in conflict.
Schofield, 61, resigned from the ITV program last week after admitting to having an affair with a male colleague he met when he was 15 and helped break into the industry.
The network has requested a lawyer to oversee an investigation into its handling of the brief relationship.
Dermot O’Leary and Richard Hammond replaced Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning this week.
O’Leary remarked that “what Phil has done is wrong” but suggested that, given the extensive media coverage, we should be concerned for his mental health.
Schofield suggested he was suicidal and compared his media treatment to Caroline Flack’s.
Grief and cries for celebrity treatment reform followed Flack’s death.
She committed suicide in 2020, having quit the dating show after being accused of assaulting her companion in December.
Multiple Twitter users commented that Schofield’s analogy was “disgusting.”
“Problematic for us”
O’Leary stated on This Morning, “As a society, we frequently discuss mental health, but it cannot be the exclusive domain of those on the right side of history.
Hammond continued, “There’s only so much an individual can endure, isn’t there? And I do not wish for anyone to die in this situation.”
After coming out as homosexual in 2020, Schofield, who is married with two children, received an outpouring of support.
Another regular on This Morning, Gyles Brandreth, described the controversy surrounding him as “a human story with public ramifications.”
“The public implication has to do with broadcasting and workplace rules, regulations, and good behavior,” he explained. “The review will address these issues, and we’ll learn the consequences.”
At the same time, we are dealing with a person whom we have all known and liked for many years, which complicates our situation.
And what I’m saying is that the response has been disproportionate on a human scale.
Richard Bacon, a fellow broadcaster, lent his support by tweeting that it was “time to stop piling on this person.” In 1998, the former Blue Peter host was fired from the program after admitting to using cocaine.
Former Good Morning Britain host and broadcaster Piers Morgan concurred that it was time to end the unrelenting persecution of a man who has lost everything and appears to be on the verge of suicide.
He does not appear to have committed a crime and is not a government minister.
Kelvin MacKenzie, the Sun’s former editor, denied Schofield’s bigoted claim.
“Don’t agree,” he posted. “I suspect it would have been even worse had he met a 15-year-old girl, arranged for her to work for him when she turned 18, and then turned the ‘friendship’ into an affair”
Bushra Shaikh, a political commentator, stated, “He is only sad because his dirty secret was revealed. Otherwise, he would still be presenting on that sofa.”
“[Forget] his crocodile tears.”
Two lives were shattered.
MPs have requested that ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall answer queries regarding the current situation at ITV. 14 June, this morning, during a committee meeting.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee of Parliament, described Schofield’s interview as “extremely difficult to listen to.”
“This incident has shattered two lives,” she stated.
“Two careers will be destroyed by this, not to mention the families and loved ones who will be affected as well. The interview is extremely difficult to listen to.”
Lauren Beeching, the founder of crisis management firm Honest London, told that the public response to Phillip’s interview had “singled out certain parts of what Phillip had said, with which he disagreed and with which he agreed, and pushed a witch hunt even further.
“It is evident that Phillip felt compelled to respond to the hatred, but there is little that can be done to improve his circumstance at this time. I would have advised him to maintain silence until public outrage subsided.”
She disagreed with Schofield’s assessment that his career was over, adding, “I’ve worked with personalities experiencing comparable levels of public outrage, and in every instance, the public backlash diminishes with time. Now is the time for Phillip to begin restoring his reputation.”
Simon Wadsworth, the proprietor of Igniyte, a reputations management consultancy, stated that he viewed the interview as a “positive step” that could “help sway public opinion in his favor,” adding, “Phillip Schofield was correct to come forward with his side of the story, which must have been extremely difficult.” The interview will contribute to the narrative’s equilibrium.”
He also believed that the presenter’s television career was not over, stating, “At the moment, yes, but in the long run, no… There is no irreplaceable presenter. He needs time alone to regroup and reevaluate.”
Friday’s This Morning closed with Hammond announcing that Holly Willoughby and Josie Gibson would co-host on Monday.
