Nadine Dorries reveals how Phillip Schofield ‘bullied’ co-presenter on This Morning set
Nadine Dorries #NadineDorries
NADINE Dorries has claimed she saw Phillip Schofield “bullying” a co-presenter on the This Morning set.
The former TV star, 61, was forced out the doors of the iconic ITV show last week after revealing he had been having an affair with a much younger colleague.
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Schofield has been accused of being a bullyCredit: Rex
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Nadine Dorries MP said his behaviour made her uncomfortableCredit: BBC
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He exited This Morning last week and has since quit ITV altogetherCredit: Rex
Schofield’s brother Tim was outed a paedo just weeks before the presenter admitted to having an affair with a teen colleague.
And as his career took a dramatic skydive, former co-host Holly Willoughby, 42, and ITV have since branded Schofield a liar.
Nadine Dorries MP has now said ITV bosses have “questions to answer” over his behaviour on the show he’d presented for 21 years.
She told the BBC today: “I found him bullying in his attitude towards the co-host who was standing in for Holly Willoughby.
“That made me more uncomfortable he started aggressively jabbing at his script. The co presenter looked terrified.
“It will come out in the wash.
“The fact Philip Schofield has made a rather grovelling apology to the Daily Mail, there seems to be an understanding that’s it, it will move on, but its not the case.
“We know there are complaints lodges with ITV over a long period of time – what happened to those complaints?
“Editor of the programme, Martin, has questions to answer and so does Holly.
“And how did that boy so young get a job with ITV? What contact was first made, who contacted who?”
It comes after The Sun on Sunday revealed former regular contributor Dr Ranj complained of bullying when he left last year.
It is not clear who he was accusing, but ITV bosses admitted looking into them.
Eight ITV stars also complained about Schofield’s “toxic” behaviour.
We can also reveal one household name has drafted a resignation statement in the wake of Schofield’s admission that he lied about an affair with the much younger male employee.
A probe by ITV found no evidence of Schofield and the boy’s relationship adding it was all “hearsay and rumours”.
They also said no one employed on the daytime show knew of the affair as Schofield “lied” to everyone.
After years of “deceit” he finally admitted the “consensual on-off relationship” did happen.
Describing it as “unwise, but not illegal”, the ex-presenter told in a lengthy statement how sorry he was.
In a statement Schofield said: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague.
“Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship.
“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.
“Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me.
“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.
“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.
“I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.
“I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.
“I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.
“To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so.
“I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected.”
Former pal Holly released a statement on Friday telling how she confronted him over the claims before being told it was not true.
It comes as ITV said no one employed on This Morning knew of the fling because Schofield “lied” to everyone.