Good Morning Britain chiefs have reportedly held a crisis meeting after Patsy Palmer stormed off the ITV show.
TV bosses are reportedly worried about a “viewers exodus”, according to The Sun.
Former EastEnders star Patsy ended an interview over Zoom on Wednesday (March 17) after objecting to a reference to addiction.
Why did Patsy Palmer storm off ITV and Good Morning Britain?
She took offence at an onscreen strapline and accused GMB producers of bringing up her past struggles.
Patsy fumed: “You know what, I don’t even want to do this interview. I don’t even want to look what it says at the bottom of that screen.
“So I am just going to switch off, do a real Piers Morgan, and say it’s not okay to have ‘addict to wellness guru’ on the bottom of the screen.”
Read more: Patsy Palmer on GMB: Actress swears at followers who criticised her for storming off show
Patsy added: “My issues that I had years ago, that were talked about many years ago, and it’s over.
“I am not going to talk to you, don’t worry about it but I don’t want to talk to you.”
Host Ben Shephard insisted the show did not intend to hurt Patsy as he explained “addict to wellness guru” was a quote from her book.
I am not going to talk to you, don’t worry about it but I don’t want to talk to you.
And fellow presenter Susanna Reid added: “I had no idea that was on the screen, that’s a terrible shame, our apologies to Patsy.”
Nonetheless, the show’s bosses are reportedly concerned about the show’s reputation following the spat.
So how ITV bosses have reacted?
A TV insider told the tabloid that GMB staff have been ordered to take immediate steps.
The show source said: “On Thursday, the GMB production team were summoned to a meeting about the handling of Patsy’s chat.
“Her interview was viewed as a disaster.
“It was made clear to some members of the team that this was a crisis meeting as there were issues that needed addressing quickly.”
ED! has approached a representative for GMB for comment.
Read more: Good Morning Britain guest Paddy McGuinness pokes fun at Patsy Palmer
Despite the reported concerns, the TV tiff has since been referred to lightheartedly on the ITV morning show.
Guest Paddy McGuinness joked about Patsy’s reaction during an appearance yesterday (March 19).
Indeed, he liked how he was referred to on a similar onscreen graphic.
Paddy joked: “Well done on the ‘comedy genius Paddy McGuinness’, there’s no walking off here with that!”
However, Patsy was still fuming after her appearance.
She said on Instagram: “My apologies to anyone that wants to hear good news as I have great faith that considering what is going on in the world right now, there are some people that do.
“I keep seeing people saying ‘Get over yourself’. I’ve gotten over my old self years ago. I no longer wish to discuss it when I only have five minutes of air time.”
It has been a tumultuous couple of weeks for GMB, after Piers Morgan stepped away from the show.
The daytime series reportedly lost a number of viewers following his departure – ratings have apparently dropped by over 255,000 viewers.
Nonetheless, Piers claimed victory for his final appearance on the show over BBC Breakfast.
How ITV beat the BBC
GMB had an audience share of 35.3% with BBC Breakfast pulling in 33.4%.
Piers gloated: “I had one goal when I joined GMB – beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings. On my last day, we did it.
“That was down to the hard work and dedication of the whole team – they don’t all agree with me, some don’t even like me, but we were a team and we won.”
Adil Ray and Victoria Derbyshire are among those touted to replace Piers on a permanent basis.
An insider told The Sun: “ITV producers have been looking for the right platform for Victoria for a while.
“They think she is a real talent and one of the few opinionated TV journalists who could be a real powerhouse addition to GMB.”
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