Original This Morning host Richard Madeley has said he feels “very sorry” for Phillip Schofield following the former presenter’s exit from the daytime show.
Back in May, Phillip left This Morning after 21 years, amid reports of a fallout with co-host Holly Willoughby, before going on to quit ITV altogether after admitting to having lied about an affair with a younger colleague.
Richard, who is now a regular on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, described Phillip’s departure as “savage” in a new interview with The Sun, revealing he reached out to him amid the scandal.
“I feel very sorry for Phillip – it seemed a pretty savage outcome after 21 years,” he said.
“It seemed quite brutal to be honest. I took a paternal interest in it – I kept in touch, told him to take it easy and that it’ll be all right. He agreed. All things pass in the end.”
Richard added: “We’ve all been through terrible experiences and the worst ones are the phones that come out of a clear blue sky and you don’t see them coming.
“Politicians say they’re only one debate away from a catastrophe and it’s the same in our industry.”
Richard also ruled himself out or returning to This Morning’s famous sofa, having previously hosted alongside wife Judy Finnigan from the show’s inception in 1988 until 2001, saying he “enjoyed it” but “wouldn’t go back”.
Following Phillip’s exit from This Morning, the programme also faced accusations of bullying and being a “toxic” workplace – something which bosses were swift to deny.
ITV has so far not found a permanent replacement for Phillip, with Holly continuing to front the show with a rotation of other members of the on-air This Morning team, including Josie Gibson, Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary and Craig Doyle.
However, recent reports have suggested that Good Morning Britain regular Ben Shephard is looking like a contender to land the full-time role, after apparentlimpressing bosses with a guest stint on the show last month.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.
