10 October 2023 , 18:54
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Sky News viewers were left outraged after the channel announced Holly Willoughby's sudden This Morning exit live from Jerusalem.
Mark Austin's coverage of the crisis was interrupted as the death toll in Israel reached more than 1,000 following the massacre in the Middle East. The presenter suddenly relayed the news of Holly's departure from the ITV show with the sacred holy city in the background.
Sky then pushed the clip on twitter as social media users were left stunned by the decision to break away from the coverage moments after detailing the atrocities. Many re-posted the video slamming execs' handling of the situation.
Holly Willoughby has announced she has stepped down from her role as presenter of This MorningOne sarcastically wrote: “Breaking news for you on Sky News tonight, we go to John live in a war-torn Jerusalem” 'Yes, ground breaking news coming in guys.. Holly Willoughby calls it a day from a British day-time TV show" as another wrote: "This has to be satire."
Another put: "There’s a war going on and the reporter in Jerusalem is yacking on about some daytime tv personality. Ridiculous," before a fourth person said: "We’re going live now, to a Jerusalem rooftop, for some breaking news, about Holly Willoughby quitting this morning…."
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Holly wrote in a statement shared to her Instagram page: "I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning. To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so, so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we've done together.
(SkyNews/Twitter)"Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You've been so loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day. Richard and Judy said 'we only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers'. Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive.
"To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you. It's been an honour to just be part of it's story and I know this story has many chapters left to go. Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family. "I will miss you all so much."
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director, Media and Entertainment, ITV said: "We are sad that Holly is leaving This Morning, but respect her decision which we know will have been extremely difficult for her to make. Holly is one of the best loved, respected and most accomplished broadcasters in the UK. She has been at the heart of This Morning for the past 14 years, and she is adored by our viewers.
"Holly has brought her unique brand of warmth, energy, humour and fun to one of the country’s most popular daytime shows, and everyone on the programme will miss her enormously. She remains a much loved member of the ITV family and we look forward to continuing to work with her in the future."
It's been a tough 12 months for Holly following a number of This Morning scandals. Last year, she and former co-host Phillip Schofield were accused of skipping the queue to pay their final respects to the late Queen. Then in May, Phillip resigned from This Morning and ITV after admitting he had an affair with a younger former colleague and lied about it.