Former Dancing On Ice judge Jason Gardiner claims he confronted Phillip Schofield on This Morning about his involvement with a runner.
He did, however, receive a fairly caustic reaction.
Phillip, 61, has been the focus of the country in recent weeks after admitting to an affair with a much younger male colleague that began in 2017 when Phillip was still married and before coming out as homosexual.
He then resigned from ITV after lying to his colleagues and supervisors about the connection, which he maintains was ‘not unlawful’.
For several years, there had been whispers of an affair between Phillip and the runner, who has not been named in the media to protect his privacy.
After hearing the murmurs, Jason claims to have sent Phillip a private message in 2020.
The Australian choreographer, 51 – who was an original judge on Dancing On Ice before leaving for good in 2019 – told The Sun that he DMed Phillip on Twitter.
He explained: ‘I went into a bit of a tailspin.’
‘I said, “I know this is a very difficult moment for you and I support you in your decision to come out, but I also feel that I need to ask you about certain rumours that are going around online and are you aware of them?”.’
He alleges Phillip responded with a one-word reply that read, ‘Seriously?’
‘That was it,’ Jason added.
‘It was very dismissive and that made me uneasy because I thought, “I’ve reached out to you very authentically”, and it kind of really p***ed me off.’
Jason didn’t explain any further whether he’s had contact with Phillip since.
Meanwhile, ITV is examining his departure from the station, and the results will be made public.
MPs will also interrogate ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall next week.
Their current probe comes after they claim to have investigated into reports of an affair between Phillip and an ex-colleague three years ago, but found no evidence to back them up.
The runner, who no longer works for the station, has denied being questioned, and Phillip has also stated that there was no ‘formal’ inquiry.
In terms of This Morning, no permanent successor for Phillip has been announced.
Holly Willoughby, on the other hand, returned to the couch this week following an early half-term holiday.
She was partnered for two days by Josie Gibson, then by Craig Doyle, while Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary returned to anchor their customary Friday slot after filling in for Holly.
Despite reports, nothing appears to be fixed in stone, with ITV indicating that additional announcements on future presenters of the show will be made “in due time.”
Holly addressed Phillip’s departure and controversy in her first programme back, however fans were perplexed by how brief it was.
Despite reports that she was aware of what was going on, which both Phillip and Holly have denied, she only addressed Phillip by name once and didn’t go into depth about the affair.
Holly told viewers that she has been feeling ‘shaken, troubled, let down’ and ‘worried’ for the mental health of everyone involved in the matter.
But, she assured that the whole This Morning team will ‘continue to work hard every single day to bring you this show that we love.’
