Former This Morning host Judy Finnigan has weighed in on the many headlines that have been surrounding the show in recent history.
Back in May, This Morning host Phillip Schofield announced he was stepping down from the show after 21 years at the helm, following rumours he and co-host Holly Willoughby had fallen out behind the scenes.
Less than a week later, it was confirmed he had resigned from ITV altogether, after admitting to having lied to bosses about an affair with a younger colleague on the daytime show.
After an extended break, Holly eventually returned to This Morning where she co-presented with a series of guest hosts. However, she made the decision to leave the show last month, following an alleged plot to kidnap her.
Speaking to Saga magazine, Judy – who fronted This Morning with husband Richard Madeley for 13 years – admitted she felt This Morning has reached a “disaster of a stage in [its] life”.
“I no longer watch it, and won’t appear on there to talk about my book,” Judy said, insisting this “isn’t a protest, it’s just a very different show than it was when we were doing it”.
She continued: “I know the politics inside television are extremely dense, but it seems to me to be an extraordinary disaster of a stage in This Morning’s life that I don’t think needed to happen. Phillip [Schofield] is not a close friend but he is a friend, and I must admit I simply cannot understand why he had to go.
“A lot of discussion has been had about why the show couldn’t work because Phillip and Holly [Willoughby] weren’t good friends anymore. I couldn’t understand what I always thought was this unhealthy obsession with Holly and Phillip being best friends – therefore for the programme to work they had to be so close. Programmes and presenters don’t work like that.”
“I just find the whole thing a great shame and incredibly upsetting,” she added.
Judy’s husband Richard – who is still part of the ITV daytime family, as a regular presenter on Good Morning Britain – previously said he felt “very sorry” for Phillip after his This Morning exit.
“It seemed a pretty savage outcome after 21 years,” he said. “It seemed quite brutal to be honest. I took a paternal interest in it – I kept in touch, told him to take it easy and that it’ll be all right. He agreed. All things pass in the end.”
Richard added: “We’ve all been through terrible experiences and the worst ones are the phones that come out of a clear blue sky and you don’t see them coming.
“Politicians say they’re only one debate away from a catastrophe and it’s the same in our industry.”
Following Phillip and Holly’s exits, This Morning is currently being fronted by a rotating mix of guest presenters.
These have included This Morning regulars Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary, Craig Doyle and Josie Gibson, who is currently appearing on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!.