This Morning: Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary ‘lean on each other for support’

Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary put on a united front on This Morning when addressing the details associated with the Phillip Schofield scandal that emerged over the weekend. The show’s stand-in hosts attempted to squash the backlash by addressing the issue head on before the daily review of the newspapers. Dermot, 50, said: “We all know that we happen to be in the news at the moment and of course, we appreciate that but on behalf of us, the crew and the guys downstairs, we love making the show for all of you.”

Alison added: “Yes, we really do and that is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to continue to do that”. An awkward-Alison then quickly introduced the next section keen to move the focus away from the negative rumours that have been circulating.

Judi James, a body language expert, told MailOnline: “As Dermot began with an emphatic ‘Now…’ his head dipped and his brows raised. ‘’We are in the news at the moment...’’ saw Alison nod and bare her lower teeth in what looked like a micro-gesture of anger.”

She went on to analyse their interaction with Gyles Brandreth who was there to review the daily newspapers. Giles highlighted that he loved appearing on the show and claimed it was ‘’a happy place to work’’. At this point Dermot hid his face behind his mug and Alison looked down at the table as though unwilling to share her feelings at all. Judi recognised how physically and emotionally uncomfortable the duo were and said: “Dermot performed an embarrassed act of self-diminishing, pulling his upper arms into his torso and stuffing his hands between his legs as though trying to make himself look as small as possible. As he self-hugged, Alison’s eye expression projected sadness.”

Judi complimented the presenters for the way they acted as a united front saying: “Alison and Dermot performed a very telling gesture of unity and mutual support as they engaged in eye contact while doing the kind of tough-guy hand clasp that gladiators might have used before going into the arena.

“It looked touching and showed how badly they needed each other for support on this challenging morning.” she added. Over the weekend, Phillip Schofield dramatically revealed that he had resigned from ITV and confirmed rumours of an “unwise” relationship with a younger This Morning colleague. The announcement came as a surprise to his colleagues as he had previously vehemently denied the allegations.

To add insult to injury, many former colleagues, including Dr Ranj Singh and Eamonn Holmes, aired their opinions that the show had a “toxic culture” and that it failed to address issues of “bullying and discrimination”.

Schofield  has since hit back at the claim on his Instagram and posted: “Now I no longer work on This Morning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice. This Morning IS the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there there was no toxicity.”