This Morning has been the non-stop subject of headlines ever since Phillip Schofield confirmed he was leaving the show, and I think it’s time Holly Willoughby goes with him if they want to save it. Phil recently admitted to having an “unwise but not illegal affair” with a younger colleague.
Eamonn Holmes has alleged that “four ITV executives” knew “what sort of man” Phillip was and Dr Ranj Singh has called out the show for reportedly being “toxic”. I think it’s safe to say that the brand has been pretty badly damaged.
I think the only thing that can save the show is a complete rebrand – and that includes getting rid of Holly Willoughby.
This Morning can’t continue with Holly Willoughby
After Phillip admitted to “lies”, Holly said in a statement that she asked Phillip about the affair claims previously and he denied it. She added she was “hurt” by his lies. There’s since been questions over whether Holly knew about the affair.
Many commentators have pointed out that she and Phil were extremely close both on set and off. They went on family holidays with each other and regularly attended events together.
But even if she’s telling the truth, in the eyes of fans, Holly is always going to be closely aligned with Phil. They hosted together for over a decade, we’re not just going to forget that! Almost all of Holly’s most memorable moments on This Morning (good and bad) happened with Phil right next to her on the sofa.
With rumours swirling that the show could be axed as advertisers are apparently pulling out of the show, it’s clear that This Morning needs to escape the Phillip Schofield drama. And they are never going to do that with his previous right-hand woman on the sofa every morning. Holly, it’s time to face that you can’t just come back to the sofa next Monday.
It might be time for a whole rebrand?
This Morning has been a fixture for ITV since 1988. But I think from now on, anytime anyone thinks about it – the Phillip Schofield scandal is all that’s going to come to mind.
Every presenter who has worked on the show is somehow linked to Phil. Alison and Dermot are already apparently fuming that they were the ones to make the Schofield tribute, and they’re right to be.
Every other presenter is going to be accused of knowing about Phil’s affair – whether they did or not. I just think that This Morning won’t escape the Phil scandal any time soon if they keep all his “best friends” on the show.
After 35 years, I don’t think ITV will want to say goodbye to the one million people who tune into This Morning every day. But the current brand is tarnished forever, and I think viewers want to see real change.
How ITV can save This Morning
I think the show is going to need a whole new roost of presenters. Maybe it’s time to give new, young talent a chance and let the alleged “toxic” past of This Morning go. Don’t get me wrong, I still like a lot of the people who host This Morning regularly. I think they could have a lot of success in the future. But I don’t they can ever escape the This Morning drama whilst still connected to the show.
Many viewers have already pledged to boycott. One person wrote: “They are all snakes, just out for themselves, sack the lot and boycott This Morning.” A second person agreed: “You should cancel the This Morning show.” A third viewer added: “ITV need to pull the plug on This Morning without further delay! It is way past its best-before date.”
If ITV wants viewers to stay, you’ve got to prove to them that things are going to change. New presenters, new format, maybe even a new name and look – no matter what, ITV can’t pretend like nothing has to change.
Read more: GMB legend tipped to replace Phillip Schofield on This Morning
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