Phillip Schofield addresses 'This Morning' toxic atmosphere claims

Phillip Schofield has said he doesn’t think he would have got where he is today if rumours that he is an “a***hole” were true.

Last year the This Morning presenter was the subject of several allegations that he was difficult to work with, with Amanda Holden claiming he prevented her from getting a regular guest host job on the show.

Schofield, 58, told Chris Evans’s podcast How To Wow: “The fact there was a toxic atmosphere in This Morning, there has never been anything like that, everyone is equal, we all love each other, they were worried about me, we all talk about each other’s families and their lives, it’s a tight-knit team.

Watch: Phillip Schofield called out by This Morning viewer for refusing autograph

“The fact there was supposed to be all of this going on, absolutely and completely untrue. When you, in your life, in your head, if you are struggling with the deepest, darkest issues, but… I have always had my job…

Read more: Amanda Holden says 'people have found the tin opener' on Schofield rumours

“If I was an a***hole I don’t think I’d have got what I’ve got, and for people to say ‘He’s shocking to work with’, I didn’t recognise this man, how could this be true, how could this happen?

“The one solid thing I had under my feet was my security rug of my job. When that was pulled out from underneath me, that was a shocker… but I still maintained, and we had to maintain, this smiling face in the mornings and sometimes it’s hard.”

The struggles Schofield is referring to were the secret of his sexuality, which he made public in February, coming out as gay after 27 years of marriage to Steph Lowe.

Read more: Phillip Schofield has no plans for divorce nine months after coming out as gay

The TV presenter also ridiculed rumours of a feud between himself and co-host Holly Willoughby, claiming she was closer to him than ever as the only person who knew his secret.

He said: “There are literally no plans for me to leave This Morning, I adore that show.

“There was nothing that was being said that had any truth in it whatsoever. There was no and there has never been a feud with Holly.

“When they were writing ‘Phillip and Holly feud’ we couldn’t have been closer because I’d told her my secret and she was holding me together at work.”

Last summer Schofield expressed his hurt at the ongoing rumours on Twitter.

He wrote: “The end of another really sad weekend. When you try for 35 years to be the easiest, most fun person to work with and you read such hurtful and wildly untrue stories from nameless ‘sources’.

“Obviously I’ll take it on the chin... I just hope you know me better.”

Watch: AWKS! Phillip Schofield called out by This Morning viewer for refusing autograph

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