Dr Ranj Singh has released a statement after a photograph of himself posing with Phillip Schofield’s rumoured former lover resurfaced online. The snap, which was shared in 2017, show the pair posing in a selfie on the This Morning set together, with Ranj captioning it: “Just hanging out at the studio with the resident @thismorning stud! #bluesteel @GayTimesMag."
After the photo was shared on Twitter, he responded to it, adding: “Just some facts for those people deliberately misconstruing this picture." He went on to say that the picture was "obviously a joke" and that the pair worked together on This Morning, with his colleague being 21 at the time it was taken in 2017.
He continued: “I’ve noticed people posting news articles where a journalist took a tweet from 10 years ago in isolation, completely out of context from the wider discussion, and used it to imply something else. This is inaccurate and unfair. And those comments were clarified years ago.”
MORE: Read Phillip Schofield's original statement in full
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Dr Ranj’s response comes shortly after Phillip admitted to having an affair with a former colleague. Releasing the statement via The Daily Mail on Friday, he wrote: “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.
© Photo: Getty Images"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… I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”
Following reports of This Morning being a toxic workplace, Dr Ranj himself released a statement admitting that he believed himself to be managed out after complaining about the work condition on the show. In an Instagram post, he shared: “I was on the show for 10 years and I genuinely loved and valued working there. However, over time, I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind-the-scenes and how people, including myself, were being treated.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with TM (This Morning) go far beyond him. It takes more than one person to create a culture… I then found myself being used less and less. I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV: the culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out.”
© Photo: Getty ImagesAn ITV spokesperson responded with a statement which read: "We are sorry to read Dr Ranj’s post today. At ITV we are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have. Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent advisor to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.”
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