ITV has instructed a barrister to hold out an exterior overview of the info following Phillip Schofield’s assertion and departure from This Morning, chief government Dame Carolyn McCall has stated.
In a letter seen by the PA information company, ITV’s Dame McCall stated: “You may have seen the numerous media protection regarding Phillip Schofield.
“As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend.
“Given the continuing rumours, we continued to ask questions of each events, who each continued to disclaim the rumours, together with as lately as this month.
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“There has been a lot of inaccuracy in the reporting so I thought it would be useful to set out some facts.”
The letter was despatched to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom chief government Dame Melanie Dawes.
It went on to say that the youthful man who Schofield had an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with was 19-years-old when he first did work expertise on This Morning in 2015.
Aged 20, he secured a job as a runner on the daytime TV present the place he labored until he was promoted to a job on Loose Women in 2019. He left ITV in 2021.
The letter additional claims that ITV have provided him help “throughout this period” and are nonetheless doing so.
Schofield resigned from the broadcaster on Friday after admitting each to the affair and mendacity about it. He was additionally dropped by his expertise company, YMU.
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The relationship happened whereas the 61-year-old was nonetheless married to Stephanie Lowe, and earlier than he publicly got here out as homosexual.
The letter goes on to say that ITV has instructed Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers, to “carry out an external review to establish the facts.”
“She will review our records and talk to people involved. This work will also consider our relevant processes and policies and whether we need to change or strengthen any,” the letter stated.
ITV bosses are set to be quizzed by MPs over their dealing with of the scenario at This Morning subsequent week.
The community’s executives will seem earlier than the Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee on Tuesday.
They had been scheduled to seem earlier than the committee anyway, to debate the draft Media Bill, however have been informed to count on an interrogation over the Schofield affair as properly.
Content Source: information.sky.com