05 June 2023 , 16:56
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From Loose Women to Lorraine, This Morning and Good Morning Britain, ITV is packed with shows and presenters that people up and down the country love.
And while everyone will undoubtedly have their own personal favourite television hosts they tune in to watch daily, the programmes haven't been without their own problems over the years.
Most recently, the Phillip Schofield scandal has taken over the news, with the shamed former host of This Morning parting ways with the network after confessing to an affair with a younger member of staff.
However, he's not the only ITV presenter to have departed from their show amid controversy. Here we take a look back at some of ITV's other bombshell departures...
Jeremy Kyle
The Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled after 14 years (ITV)Jeremy Kyle ruled daytime television on The Jeremy Kyle Show for 14 years, with millions of viewers eagerly tuning in to watch the host wade into family and relationship dramas.
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From DNA test results to poor parenting, the 57-year-old tackled all sorts of topics, but it all came to a tragic end in May 2019 when guest Steve Dymond took his own life days after a lie detector claimed he'd cheated on his fiancée - something he denied.
Just days later, his body was found in a rented room in Portsmouth, with an autopsy later showing he died from a morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy.
Filming and broadcasting of The Jeremy Kyle Show was suspended with immediate effect while a serious review was conducted - and former staff members and guests gave shocking insights into what it was really like behind-the-scenes.
The show was then permanently cancelled, leaving Jeremy and 100 others who worked on the show without a job.
There had been plans for Jeremy to return to ITV with a brand new show - but it seems they were shelved.
Show guest Steve Dymond died soon after failing a lie detector test (MDM)
The show was cancelled after Steve's death (Steve Dymond Facebook)While the TV star was out of work, he did manage to secure a massive £1million payout from bosses following the show's cancellation, due to having most of a year left on his £2m annual contract.
"ITV had to pay him. The contract was watertight and there was nothing which could be done about it. It was a huge amount of money," a source previously told the Daily Mail.
Jeremy then laid low until September 2021, following criticism of himself and the show, before returning to work in radio hosting Drivetime on talkRadio.
He claims he was inspired to return to work by his dad, who urged him to do so before he passed away.
Then in April 2022, he helped launch a new channel TalkTV alongside Sharon Osbourne with an hour-long debate show.
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He's since opened up to The Sun about what it was like for him when The Jeremy Kyle Show ended, claiming it pushed him over the edge.
"I don't want to sound 'woe is me', and as I've said the whole thing was a terrible tragedy — devastating for Steve Dymond's friends and family, of course, and for the many people who worked on the show, but it did hit me hard. And it's been awful to feel so scapegoated, and without being able to have my say about the accusations that often seemed to be levelled only at me.
"I've felt hunted and made out to be responsible for everything that ever took place around that show. But I was just the face of it."
The presenter also shared how he'd been battling anxiety and depression and at times struggled to leave his house or open the curtains and had been supported by his wife Vicky Burton to get help.
He The Sun: "I was completely devastated at first and then I became completely demotivated. Every ounce of energy seemed to have gone and I just couldn't bring myself to leave the house or even open the curtains.
"After Vic encouraged me I eventually did go to the doctor because of how low I was feeling - and I've never done that in my life. But it was the only way I could get myself through."
He added that he'd been abandoned by a number of his celebrity pals during this difficult time, with some he had been close to for years simply "disappearing".
However, he singled out a few "brilliant" friends who remained by his side, including Dec Donnelly, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford and Rob Rinder.
He's since said he's found his "broadcasting home" on TalkTV and has conducted one of the biggest interviews of his life - speaking to Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a Florida jail after being found guilty of luring young women and girls to massage rooms where disgraced businessman Jeffrey Epstein molested them.
Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan left Good Morning Britain after a row about Meghan Markle (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
He stormed off the set and refused to apologise for calling Meghan a 'liar' (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)For six years Piers Morgan helped to wake the nation up and bring them the headlines on Good Morning Britain, alongside his co-host Susanna Reid.
However, the 58-year-old left the ITV show in March 2021 following a row over comments he'd made about Meghan Markle.
The controversial presenter proclaimed on the programme that he "didn't believe a word" the Duchess of Sussex had told Oprah Winfrey about her mental health in an interview.
His comments followed an on-air clash with Alex Beresford, who criticised him for "continuing to trash" Meghan, prompting Piers walk off the set.
Ofcom received more than 50,000 complaints about Piers' comments, with many saying they were "harmful" and "highly offensive".
An ITV spokesperson said: "Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."
Piers disputed Meghan's claims in her Oprah Winfrey interview (pixel8000)Piers later took to Twitter to say: "On Monday, I said I didn't believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I've had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don't. If you did, OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I'm happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I'm off to spend more time with my opinions."
Alongside this he shared a Winston Churchill quote, reading: "Some people's idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back that is an outrage."
Ofcom later rejected the complaints against Piers saying that limiting his views would be a "chilling restriction" on free expression.
And the broadcaster and journalist has since branded his ITV exit a "farce".
"I thought the whole thing was a farce, and I'm delighted that actually as a result of the farce, we've ended up with a whole network which is now dedicated to preventing that kind of farce from recurring," he said ahead of the launch of his show Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV.
The chat show allows Piers share his verdict on the news and interview and debate with people of interest, which he claims will "uncancel those who have been cancelled".
He added: "I used to think I was uncensored, and then of course when I left Good Morning Britain, it turned out that I actually was being censored in the sense that I was told I had to apologise for disbelieving Princess Pinocchio or I would have to leave the building.
"So I took the leave-the-building option, which I thought was a sad moment for me and for the show. I thought it was the wrong call by ITV.
"It was all a bit dramatic, but of course what it really did was focus everyone's minds to, 'what is free speech?'"
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson's future at Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was thrown in doubt after controversy (Stellify Media)Jeremy Clarkson has also been a staple on our screens for years, from his Top Gear days through to his recent stint as host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
However, his time with ITV was also marred by controversial comments about Meghan Markle.
The 63-year-old faced major backlash over a column he wrote for The Sun in December 2022 in which he said the Duchess of Sussex should be forced to parade the streets naked with "lumps of excrement thrown at her" and that he hated her on a "cellular level".
The highly controversial column was investigated by British media regulator IPSO.
Following this, Clarkson's future on the ITV game show was thrown into doubt with many calling for the presenter to be axed from the show.
And three female stars refused to take part in the celeb version of the ITV quiz show following Clarkson's comments about Meghan.
ITV quickly came out against his column, with boss Carolyn McCall stating that the network didn't "endorse" what he had said and there was "no place for that on ITV".
According to Variety, she said: "There was no dissent internally. We came out much quicker than anybody else, Amazon included.
"We just came out said, 'Yes, we do not endorse a single word that he said on that. And there's no place for that on ITV.'"
ITV and Clarkson both deny that he was sacked from the show and say that his contract was up and they had "no future commitments".
AN ITV spokesperson later added: "There are no further commissioning commitments beyond that currently as is typical with such shows where we make commissioning decisions on a series-by-series basis.
"Therefore for the avoidance of doubt neither Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? nor Jeremy Clarkson have been cancelled."
Jeremy doubled down on this, tweeting: "So many kind messages about today’' reports. But relax. Lisa and I have not split up and I have not been sacked as host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."
As well as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? the presenter was also working with Amazon on The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm at the time of the controversy.
A third season of Clarkson's Farm is currently in the works, after the second series broke Amazon Prime streaming records, with 4.3million making it Amazon's highest-rated show since the company began reporting viewing figures in November 2021.
The streaming platform will go ahead with the already-commissioned series of The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm, but reportedly have no plans to work with the controversial star after 2024.
Clarkson says his bosses at ITV and Amazon were "incandescent" after his decision to share his disturbing thoughts with the public.
His own daughter even came out to slam her father's misogynistic comments, making it clear she stands in support of "those targeted with online hatred".
He has since shared a lengthy statement apologising for his column and also claims to have emailed Harry and Meghan to say sorry as well.
His apology on Instagram read: "I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. It's a mea culpa with bells on.
"Usually, I read what I've written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I'd finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded.
"It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it. But then the rumble got louder. So I picked up a copy of The Sun to see what all the fuss was about.
"We've all been there, I guess. In that precise moment when we suddenly realise we've completely messed up. You are sweaty and cold at the same time. And your head pounds. And you feel sick. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible.
"I knew what had happened straight away. I'd been thinking of a scene in Games Of Thrones, but I'd forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan’s head. I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism.
"We never did 'women can't park' gags for instance. Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men. And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest-ever laps in our reasonably-priced car. I'm just not sexist and I abhor violence against women.
"And yet I seemed to be advocating just that. I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me."
Phillip Schofield
Phillip Schofield has parted ways with ITV after an affair scandal (ITV)Following weeks of uncertainty about a feud between Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, fans of This Morning were stunned when 61-year-old Phil announced he was stepping down from the show.
However, it later emerged that something bigger had taken place, as the former TV presenter confessed to having lied to ITV, his wife, daughters, friends and colleagues about having an affair with a younger member of staff.
He has since parted ways with ITV and has been replaced on the show by Josie Gibson.
Speaking about his affair, he explained his friendship with the colleague started when the man was 20.
The pair first met when the other man was 15 and Phillip was paying a visit to his drama school.
Phillip explained his relationship with his younger colleague became more than just friends after a "consensual moment" in his dressing room in 2017.
He insists he did "not groom" the younger colleague at This Morning that he had an affair with.
ITV bosses also said that they felt they had been "badly let down" by the presenter, who was also dropped by his management team.
Speaking to the BBC amid the scandal, Phillip shared his devastation over losing "everything" and apologised to those he had hurt. He also discussed the toll the situation had taken on his mental health, claiming he didn't see a future for himself.
"I have to talk about television in the past tense, which breaks my heart. I have lost everything," he said. "If I get through this I don't know how I move forward. What am I going to do with my days?"
"I see nothing ahead of me but blackness and sadness and regret and remorse and guilt. I did something very wrong and then I lied about it consistently... consistently lied about. You can't live with that. How do you live with that?"
Schofield went on to say that his "greatest apology" over the fallout from the affair was to his former lover and that he would "die sorry" for what he had done.
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