Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes has launched a stinging attack on disgraced fellow presenter Phillip Schofield, calling him a "dyed-in-the-wool narcissist" who was "deluded".
Holmes appeared on GB News, where he is now a presenter, in a one-on-one interview with New Zealand-born Dan Wootton in which he said he was speaking up for "all my workmates over the years who were frightened and ignored" by Schofield and his behaviour. Holmes and his wife Ruth Langsford previously presented the Friday edition of the This Morning show.
"A lie unchallenged becomes the truth," Holmes said as the interview began.
"Is he so detached from life at This Morning, does he not know what's going on? He is the chief narcissist, a complete dyed-in-the wool narcissist," he said, referring to claims the working atmosphere on the popular UK daytime show was fine.
Holmes also hit out at co-host Holly Willoughby for her statement paying tribute to her former colleague, and said the couch where they worked would be "empty" without him.
"She should be dancing on the couch, she was looking for that forever," he said, implying Willoughby had wanted Schofield off the show.
Holmes poured scorn on the bosses at ITV saying they knew about Schofield's actions and implied they had turned a blind eye and covered it up so they could placate the show's hosts.
"All I'm here to do is speak for people who don't have a voice, people who were gagged illegally, or by actions that were taken by the production company. Everyone was Team Phillip and Team Holly - let's all remember the figures on This Morning don't change, whoever is on the programme. That's all that counts, bringing in the money at ITV."
Former New Zealand TV star Schofield left his role at This Morning after reports of a rift with co-host and former friend Holly Willoughby. But a few days later, he admitted to lying to ITV, his agent, his lawyer, and his family about an affair with a young ITV employee, who was just 15 years old when the pair first met.
The former host of ITV daytime show This Morning admitted on Friday (UK time) to the relationship with his younger colleague while still married. Schofield said earlier the relationship with his junior colleague was "unwise but not illegal".
Wootton also claimed there had been special treatment for the colleague, saying while he had been working at ITV, "he had been a non-negotiable part of Phillip Schofield's life - there had been the taxis ferrying this young man between the studio and Phillip Schofield's house".
Holmes said he'd found out from "a very, very good source" that he was "delivered from Phillip's house on Friday morning because Thursday was playtime when he and Phillip would hit the town and then he stayed overnight, there were records that showed he'd be brought in the next day, in cars paid for by ITV".
On the Monday prior to the interview airing, Schofield posted a statement to Instagram denying This Morning had been toxic.
"Now I no longer work on This Morning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that it's the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice," he said.
"This Morning IS the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there was no toxicity. You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like. But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know it, it IS a family of wonderful, talented, kind, hard working people."
Holmes hit out at the "nonsense" statement, saying: "Holy God, what planet does this man live on? He created an atmosphere where people hated him. People would avoid him in the corridor. He didn't look at anybody, didn't know people's names, Holly doesn't know people's names either. This is legendary within the production team, how distant they are and how they just don't care."
ITV and Schofield have not commented on the accusations from the latest interview.
