Dermot O’Leary was a quiet figure on Saturday morning.
The presenter, 50, was seen for the first time since Phillip Schofield, 61, left ITV admitting to having an affair with a young male This Morning colleague.
Dermot – who co-hosts This Morning on Fridays with Alison Hammond – also has his own show on BBC Radio 2 every Saturday at 8am, and walked out of the London studios after his morning slot before hopping on his bike and riding off.
The TV star was dressed in indigo jeans and a plain white T-shirt, which he paired with a dark blue jacket and simple white trainers.
After Phillip announced last Saturday that he would be leaving This Morning effective immediately, Dermot and Alison were brought in to host the daytime show, while Holly Willoughby took an early leave of absence for half of the drama amid the drama.
Calm down: On Saturday morning, Dermot O’Leary, 50, was seen for the first time since Phillip Schofield, 61, quit ITV and admitted to having an affair with a young male This Morning colleague
Ready for the day: The presenter looked calm on Saturday as he left the BBC Radio 2 studios in London after hosting his morning radio show
Riding off: Dermot strolled out of the London studios after his morning slot before hopping on his bike and riding off
The duo gave Phillip just a 30 second tribute at the start of the This Morning show on Monday after he came in after being suspended.
The new era also kicked off with Mr Schofield being removed from the show’s credits – less than 48 hours after he left amid reports of a split with his co-star.
Alison and Dermot started the show by briefly discussing his departure, but there was no editing, just a single picture of Phil on screen and about half a minute of warm words.
Opening the broadcast, Alison said, “We can’t start today’s show without paying tribute to the man who has sat on the This Morning bench for the past two decades.” Phillip Schofield.’
Dermot added: ‘So as a show everyone on and off the screen at ITV and This Morning on say a huge thank you to Phil for what he’s done to make the show such a success over the last 21 years.’
Alison continued, “Simply put, we all know he’s one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had, and we and the whole team wish him all the best for the future.”
Just four days later on Friday night, Phil quit ITV and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after confessing to an affair with a young male colleague This Morning.
He admitted to having the “ill-advised but not illegal” relationship with a man during his marriage to Stephanie Lowe, having previously denied the affair when asked by his agent.
Casual: The TV star was dressed in indigo jeans and a plain white T-shirt, which he paired with a dark blue jacket and simple white sneakers
To the rescue: Dermot and Alison Hammond were brought in to host This Morning last week, while Holly Willoughby took an early half-time leave after Phil stepped down from the show
Scandalous: Four days later on Friday, Phillip quit ITV and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after confessing to an affair with a young male colleague This Morning
on Saturday morning, ITV revealed it had investigated rumors of Phillip Schofield’s affair with a younger male employee, but both men “categorically and repeatedly” denied it when questioned.
The network released a statement confirming that the star and his colleague, whom MailOnline would not name, were questioned by bosses when rumors of a relationship first started circulating in early 2020.
A spokesman said: ‘Following our statement last night, ITV can confirm that when rumors of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an ITV employee first started circulating in early 2020, ITV was investigating.
Both sides were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumors, as did Phillip’s then agency, YMU.
‘Additionally, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning who were not given any evidence of a relationship beyond rumor and rumor.
“Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he has lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others about this relationship.”
ITV’s revelation of an investigation came after they made an initial statement on Friday night, following Phillip Schofield’s admission of an affair.
An ITV spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply disappointed by Phillip Schofield’s admissions of cheating tonight.
“The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Philip gave us assurances which he now admits were untrue and we feel very let down.
“We accept his resignation from ITV and can therefore confirm that he will not appear on ITV as previously stated.”
In his cringe-worthy apology issued Friday, Schofield said: “I am making this statement through the Daily Mail, to whom I have already personally apologized for being misled, through my lawyer whom I also misled, about a story (sic) that they wanted to write about me a few days ago.
“The first thing I want to say is, I am deeply sorry that I lied to them and to many others about a relationship I had with someone who worked on This Morning. I did have a consensual on and off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.
Contrary to speculation, while I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him get on television, it wasn’t until after he started working on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It’s over now…
“I am painfully aware that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore to the public and especially my family. I am very sorry, just like that I have been unfaithful to my wife…
“I resign from ITV with immediate effect and express my immense gratitude to them for all the wonderful opportunities they have given me.
“I will reflect on my very poor judgment in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.”
MailOnline is aware of the younger man’s identity, but has chosen not to name him.
Schofield’s extraordinary statement ended weeks of increasingly feverish speculation in both the TV industry and the wider country about the future of his career, following his sudden departure from the This Morning bank a week earlier.
Talent agency YMU, which represents entertainers, athletes and musicians, dropped the former presenter of This Morning after 35 years since the bombshell was revealed.
In a statement, Mary Bekhait, the Group CEO of YMU Group, said: ‘Honesty and integrity are core values for the entire YMU business and define everything we do.
‘Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust. This week we learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield.
“These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the outside consultants we engaged to support him. As a result, we agreed on Thursday to part ways with Phillip with immediate effect.”
