Nadia Sawalha said that she had her own dispute with ITV colleague Phillip Schofield following his abrupt departure from This Morning.
Following rumours of a ‘fallout’ with his ‘rock’ and co-host Holly Willoughby, Schofe announced his resignation from This Morning with immediate effect on Saturday.
Several celebrities have slammed the presenter since his resignation, including former This Morning hosts Eamonn Holmes and Amanda Holden, who appeared to celebrate his departure on Instagram.
Speaking on their YouTube series Coffee Moaning with her husband Mark Adderly, the Loose Women actress defended Holly from’sexist’ accusations, but indicated Phil had chosen his battles behind-the-scenes without naming names.
‘I think everybody on ITV, like my colleagues, and whether I’m doing a live Instagram or on [YouTube], there is the constant questions of why haven’t we said anything? Why are we not saying anything?,’ she said, addressing the fallout.
‘It is difficult, because I do have a rule and there are people who don’t stick to that rule and I believe that a certain person who is in the news at the moment didn’t stick to that so much with me a long while ago. I’m just going to leave that there…’
She clarified: ‘Something that I never actually heard but that [my husband] and friends told me while I was in Big Brother.’
Nadia emphasised that presenters aren’t always how they appear on TV, and to believe otherwise is “slightly insane.”
She went on to dismiss any idea that Holly was the architect behind Phil’s departure.
‘But I really do take umbrage with the suggestion that Holly has somehow kicked Phillip out of the way,’ she said.
‘It’s just plain sexist, because nobody actually knows apart from the people involved.’
‘I don’t know Phillip and Holly,’ Nadia continued. ‘They pass around the studios but I’ve never had a cup of coffee with them, I’ve never sat and had a chat with them but I have a rule – and I think it’s a good one – that I don’t bad-mouth people that are colleagues.
‘I think that’s what makes you a decent person or not.’
ITV has insisted that ‘Phillip Schofield’s decision to step down from This Morning was (as his statement made clear) a decision agreed between Phillip and ITV.’
Despite their reportedly close connection, Schofe’s statement made no mention of Holly.
On Monday’s This Morning, Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary took over for Holly and Phil, beginning with a weird 30 second homage to Phil that was slammed as chilly and frighteningly brief for a presenter who had been at the focus of the programme for 22 years.
Holly will return to This Morning on June 5 after the half-term break.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
