Eamonn Holmes has launched a series of allegations against This Morning and Phillip Schofield which has opened up a lot of questions.
Eamonn hosted a weekly show alongside his wife Ruth Langsford for 15 years, before Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary replaced their Friday slot in early 2021.
Following Phillip Scofield’s admission that he “lied” about an affair with a younger colleague, Eamonn launched a scathing attack on his former co-star and employers at ITV.
But, as a result of Eamonn’s allegations, we have more questions than answers…
1. What is the truth behind ITV’s ‘investigation’?
In a tweet following Phillip’s admission on Friday (May 26) evening, Eamonn Holmes claimed: “Schofield has finally been caught out. But he’s not the only guilty party. Four high members of ITV management knew what sort of man he was. [They] NEVER once took action to prevent him from controlling or taking advantage of his position over young people.”
This is a world’s away from both Phillip’s and ITV’s statements. Phil said he “lied to my employers at ITV”. ITV confirmed an “investigation” was launched into Phillip’s affair, however, the channel did not find “any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour”. A statement also said both Phil and the younger colleague denied rumours of the affair.
So, what’s the truth? And why was the investigation not made public until now? Eamonn’s statement is casting doubt in a lot of people’s minds. One person said: “So apparently ITV did investigate in 2020. They asked Schofield and the young lad, they denied the relationship. End of investigation? Good to be thorough!”
2. When did Eamonn Holmes find out the truth about Phillip Schofield?
Eamonn was branded a hypocrite after his tweet, as people asked why he didn’t do anything when he knew the truth about Schofield. After someone accused him of “back-tracking”, Eamonn to claim: “Ruth and I [were] deceived and lied to. One day I will tell the story. We had no issue with him being gay, only support. What transpired took us for fools. The man told us complete lies and we unfortunately believed him.” Replying to another tweet, he said: “We had no idea he was lying! Didn’t realise that until much later.”
So when did Eamonn and Ruth find out the truth? Was it after they left This Morning? One person questioned: “So, out of interest, when did you know?” Another person added: “Not sure I buy that you’ve just found out new intel. What has changed, other than public perception?”
3. Was Eamonn and Ruth’s exit due to Phillip’s affair?
Now, a lot of people are questioning if Eamonn and Ruth left This Morning after finding out about Phil’s affair with the younger colleague. Last year on GB News, Eamonn alleged ITV “left him”, but ITV said this was “not its version of events”.
In 2019, Ruth Langsford reportedly made a complaint about Phil’s on-set behaviour. However, while ITV has insisted this was after Phil cut her off live on air, viewers have questioned if she actually complained about the affair.
I think the time will come swiftly when you and Ruth will need to explain exactly what you knew and for how long.
One person wrote: “Were Eamonn and Ruth along with Fern [Britton] sacked when they brought it to the attention of ITV?” Another viewer added: “Is this why you and Ruth left?”
4. What does Eamonn mean by Phil ‘taking advantage of his position over young people’?
Eamonn’s allegation implied Phil took “advantage over young people”. So what exactly does the broadcaster mean by this? It’s a serious allegation, with the power to potentially destroy the man as well as his career – and Eamonn needs to be clear about what he means.
One person wrote: “Young people? You mean there was more than one Eamonn?” Another person questioned: “‘Young people’ – plural? You mean there’s more?”
5. Eamonn Holmes and Phillip Schofield: When will he tell the whole story?
Eamonn told his followers “one day I will tell the story” about his allegations regarding Phillip Schofield, but if Eamonn is going to make such serious and worrying allegations, shouldn’t he tell the story as soon as possible? What exactly will the “whole story” entail – the timeline of when he and Ruth found out the truth? How did they find out before Phil’s statement, as Eamonn implied?
One person said: “Don’t wait ‘for one day’ Eamon, that is not a good look. Do it now or else people will think you are covering your own neck!” Another person added: “I think the time will come swiftly when you and Ruth will need to explain exactly what you knew and for how long.”
Entertainment Daily has contacted representatives for This Morning regarding Eamonn’s allegations.
Read more: Eamonn Holmes insists he and Ruth were lied to by Schofield as couple branded hypocrites
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