30 January 2024 , 21:04
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Lorraine Kelly has spoken out on the departure of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby from This Morning for the first time.
The ITV star says she never saw their exit coming but doesn't believe it will cause lasting damage to the flagship daytime programme. The pair both departed amid a storm in 2023 and their replacements are yet to be officially confirmed. Lorraine says they will both be "fine" and says they are "good people".
Phillip stepped down from This Morning in May last year after 21 years on the show and revealed that he had an 'unwise but not illegal' relationship with a younger male runner while working for ITV. Then in October, Holly quit after 14 years "for me and my family" and earlier this month returned to TV on Dancing On Ice.
She says they will both "be fine" despite a very difficult year (Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Phil quit last summer under a cloud (PA)"If you'd told me at the start of last year that Holly and Phil Schofield wouldn't be on This Morning, I wouldn't have believed you," she told womenandhome. "But you know what? The show will continue. She'll be fine." Lorraine also reassured fans about Phillip and added: "He'll be fine. Eventually. It will all be OK."
Speaking fondly of her former colleagues, she continued: "They're good people, I miss them. They're smashing, they made me laugh a lot and every time I was on This Morning as a guest, they were a delight." She also recalled a funny moment with Phillip on The Cube, sharing that he had 'never laughed so much' as she and daughter Rosie attempted to take on the game show.
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Phillip said after he quit in June: "That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over. When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody 'forced' me out," the father of two cleared up. He firmly said that neither he nor anyone else had ever issued any kind of injunction regarding his relationship with this colleague, and the colleague was never moved or sacked because of him."
He confessed, "In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven't been truthful about the relationship. But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake, it is important for me to be honest now."
He shared his regret, saying, "I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family." Meanwhile, Holly, who said that the news came as a shock to her too, remained a presenter on This Morning for five months further, announcing her departure in October - sharing that she was making the decision for her family.