Inside ITV daytime's biggest scandals from Schofe's sacking and Holly feud to Lorraine backlash and Loose Women row

The Irish Sun

24-05-2025

ITV has decided to completely overhaul its daytime schedule after a host of huge scandals.
Huge changes will be made to Good Morning Britain, Lorraine This Morning and Loose Women in a huge relaunch next year.
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Phillip Schofield left ITV after his feud with Holly Willoughby and an affair with a younger male colleague
Credit: Rex
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Piers Morgan stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain over an argument on Meghan Markle
Credit: Universal News & Sport
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ITV have made sweeping changes to the Daytime lineup
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From Phillip Schofield's sacking and his feud with Holly Willoughby to panel rows at lunchtime, there has been plenty of shaky moments over the years.
The team at
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This is as This Morning will now
After the
Phillip Vs Holly
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This Morning star Phillip Schofield left ITV after he finally came clean about an affair with a younger male colleague
Credit: Rex
Phillip Schofield joined This Morning back in 2002, before he was joined by his Dancing On Ice co-star Holly Willoughby in 2009.
The duo became the golden couple of ITV, bringing home 12 consecutive awards at the NTAs.
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She was by his side as they presented the show drunk in the aftermath of ceremony and she comforted him when he came out as gay live on air in February 2020.
Away from the show, the pair would also spend time together on
holidays
in
ITV Daytime Shake-Up: Major Changes to Lorraine and Loose Women Revealed
However, their relationship soured after Phillip Schofield's brother was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in April 2023.
Speculation continued to rise of a secret feud behind the scenes as they appeared to lose their chemistry on the airwaves.
Phillip eventually resigned from the show as ITV declared he would be given a new primetime show as well as continue his role on The Soap Awards.
However, Philip later admitted to having an 'unwise but not illegal' relationship with a younger male colleague.
He also admitted that he lied to his bosses, co-stars and even his own management about the affair as he stepped down from ITV.
An external
investigation
found that
about Schofield's
relationship.
Other staff slammed the probe as a 'whitewash' as one insider said that
Loose Women rows
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Coleen Nolan went off air after a huge row with her CBB housemate Kim Woodburn
Credit: Rex Features
Coleen Nolan was at the centre of Loose Women's most infamous showdown ever, when an interview with Kim Woodburn went off the rails in 2018.
The Nolans sister was
The interview ended with
Coleen quit Loose Women for a while due to all the backlash she received afterwards - and said
While
The former Apprentice star called the ITV daytime show "too toxic" and said she was "absolutely not" friends with all of the show's line-up.
She told
'You're absolutely not! You have to just tolerate [some people] because you've got to get the job done."
She then unfollowed many of her co-stars including Nadia Sawalha and
Lorraine backlash
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Lorraine Kelly was caught up in a huge row over her taxes
Credit: Rex
In 2019, the TV presenter
rejected the taxman's claim the company she gets paid through for her work is a front.
The Scottish star signed a deal with ITV in 2012 through her firm Albatel Ltd but HM Revenue and Customs insisted she became a staffer and sent her a huge retrospective bill of £1.2million in 2016.
Lorraine had repaid £1.02million, but won a dispute over the outstanding difference - although she was later left with a hefty legal bill despite successfully defending the claim.
She told tax tribunal judge Jennifer Dean she was 'baffled' by HMRC's attitude and denied the money should have been deducted from her income.
Lorraine has been freelance since 1992 and had since also worked for the BBC, Channel 4, Scottish TV, and Sky.
At the time, Judge Dean described her as an 'honest, intelligent' super-talented freelancer.
She concluded: 'The relationship between Ms Kelly and ITV was a contract for services and not that of employer and employee.'
The judge also ruled Lorraine was entitled to deduct from her tax bill fees she paid her agent.
Daybreak failure
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Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley reunited to front the short-lived breakfast show, Daybreak
Credit: ITV
Before Good Morning Britain, bosses at ITV commissioned a completely different breakfast show.
After GMTV came to an end after almost three decades on the air, execs wanted a completely different programme to fill the traditional breakfast slot.
The execs brought in Adrian Chiles and
However, the former TV duo were used to taking to the airwaves in a primetime slot.
Viewers didn't quite warm to them at breakfast and they suffered other problems.
The programme was broadcast from a bespoke space the very top of
Although bosses expected a panoramic view of the London skyline, the sun had not yet risen at the start of the show, meaning a completely black background for the first hour.
Various shuffles occured in the presenting lineup as
Bosses opted to axe the show for good after nearly four years to launch GMB with Strictly Come Dancing star Susanna Reid.
Good Morning Britain controversy
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Former CNN presenter Piers Morgan left GMB after getting the show their highest ever ratings
Credit: pixel8000
Piers Morgan was brought onto the breakfast show in a huge shake-up.
The former CNN star was given the main anchor slot alongside Susanna Reid for the first three days of the week.
Throughout his tenure, the ratings rose consistently and on Piers' last day on air, the team beat their rivals on
BBC
Breakfast.
However, Piers was also a vocal critic of
Prince
Harry and Meghan Markle which drew ire from bosses.
After her bombshell interview with
Weather presenter
According to Piers, bosses gave him an ultimatum to apologise to Meghan Markle or to leave the show.
As such, Piers decided to depart the breakfast programme where he later launched his own show,
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Phillip Schofield fell out with Holly after his brother was convicted of sexual assault
Credit: Rex
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Bosses have made huge changes to the breakfast lineup over the years
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Saira Khan slammed Loose Women after leaving the show
Credit: Rex Features