This Morning: ITV issue new statement over ‘untrue’ rumour after Phillip Schofield affair scandal
ITV and This Morning have issued a new statement after claims the programme is losing sponsorship deals following the scandal with former presenter Phillip Schofield. Arnold Clark has announced its multi-million pound sponsorship will end this autumn as planned, but it will not be renewing its contract.
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Hide AdThe car firm said: “Our existing sponsorship of This Morning will end this Autumn as planned”. But ITV has hit back at claims the programme is now dropping advertisers quickly, following the news about Phillip Schofiled.
A statement from the TV company said: “This is untrue. This Morning’s current show sponsorship runs until the Autumn and no sponsors have pulled out of ITV.” The tv broadcaster had previously denied speculation over the weekend about the future of its flagship programme.
An ITV spokesperson said on Sunday (May 28): “As we said in the record [on Saturday], This Morning is not under review and there are no plans for the show to be axed. This Morning will return as normal [on Monday].”
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Hide AdIt was also reported in one national newspaper that hosts had threatened to quit the daytime show in the fallout over the controversy surrounding Phillip Schofield. An insider told the paper: “The future of This Morning is hanging by a thread and presenting talent are unsure of their next move.”
It was previously reported that Phillip Schofield had admitted to having an affair with a young ITV employee whilst still married to his wife. A spokesperson at ITV had said over the weekend that the channel was “not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour” when it had looked into the allegations in 2020.
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