TV WARS EXPOSED!

Following Phillip Schofield's This Morning departure, a number of TV stars have hit out at the channel, making bombshell claims

- Eve Macdonald 

It's the story that everyone's talking about, and while it started with Phillip Schofield's shock departure from This Morning, the focus has now fallen on the ITV network itself, with one disgruntled star after another stepping forward to blast the alleged "toxic" culture.

"Shaken" and "worried" were the words used by Holly Willoughby to describe her feelings when she addressed the nation on This Morning last Monday. But they could just as easily reflect how ITV’s bosses might be feeling right now.

And with ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall, 61, being hauled into Parliament this week to discuss the network’s handling of Phil’s secret affair, it seems a can of worms has been opened, with the possibility of further bombshells to come.

Former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes, 63, claimed ITV knew about and “covered up” Phil’s affair, while many other high-profile stars are now coming forward to talk about their experiences at ITV too.

Ex-This Morning regular Dr Ranj Singh, 43, said the “issues with This Morning go far beyond him [Phillip]” and “it takes more than one person to create a culture”. His comments were echoed by former Loose Woman Carol McGiffin, who branded the network “cut-throat, competitive and ruthless”.

Claiming “no one ever really had a good word” to say about Phil, the 63-year-old claimed the issues at ITV run way beyond the fallen host of This Morning, describing it as “dysfunctional” behind the scenes.