In a further development in the Phillip Schofield affair revelations, Eamonn Holmes has issued a strongly-worded response to the former ITV host’s statement about people with grudges against him.
Eamonn, who previously helped present This Morning but now works for GB News said that if Phillip was “looking for a fight” he had “picked the wrong person”
He tweeted: “Schofield has just put out a delusional statement. Like Holly he puts it on Insta Stories so if it goes wrong there is no record after 24 hrs. I'm reluctant to give the liar any more publicity but believe me Pip if u r looking for a fight, u have picked on the wrong person!”
Speaking for the first time since confirming his exit from ITV, Phillip had originally written on Monday: “Now I no longer work on @thismorning I am free to say this. II hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.”
MORE: Who is Phillip Schofield's wife? Everything you need to know about Stephanie Lowe
READ: Eamonn Holmes takes aim at Holly Willoughby after revealing Phillip Schofield 'was sacked'
The 61-year-old was quick to add some very kind words about his team at the popular morning show. He wrote: “This morning IS the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I world there there was no toxicity. You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like.
But the thousands of guests over the year, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know, it IS a family of wonderful, talented, kind, hard working people.”
Eamonn has not held back on his thoughts about Phillip during the past few weeks since it was first reported on a falling out between Phillip and his This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby.
He tweeted: "Schofield has finally been caught out ... But he's not the only guilty party. 4 high members of Itv management knew what sort of man he was ...and NEVER once took action to prevent him controlling or taking advantage of his position over young people."
He also defended himself and his wife Ruth Langsford when a Twitter user remarked he was a "hypocrite," after showing support for Phillip when he came out live on air. Eamonn responded: "Ruth and I 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."
Philip’s bombshell affair confession on Friday rocked the UK celebrity world and unsettled many of his colleagues. Holly Willoughby, who he presented This Morning with for 13 years, confessed to feeling hurt and said she had been lied to.
The original statement read: "I am making this statement via the Daily Mail to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story which they wanted to write about me a few days ago. The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning.
"I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.
"When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody 'forced' me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me."
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