What did Dr Ranj Singh say about Phillip Schofield and This Morning?

30 May 2023, 12:57

By Alice Dear

What did Dr Ranj say about This Morning and Phillip Schofield in his statement?

Dr Ranj Singh, 43, broke his silence over the weekend regarding This Morning, Phillip Schofield and the reason he is no longer on the ITV daytime show.

Ranj appeared on the show for 10 years as one of their resident doctors and would help viewers with health dilemmas and offer advice.

Following Phillip Schofield's admission that he had an affair with a 'younger' member of the This Morning family, as well as the claims of a 'toxic culture' behind-the-scenes, former stars of the show have been sharing their own experiences of working on the programme.

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Recently, Dr Ranj decided to break his silence in a lengthy statement which he shared on his social media.

Dr Ranj worked as one of the resident doctors on This Morning fro 10 years. Picture: Shutterstock

What did Dr Ranj say about Phillip Schofield and This Morning?

In a statement shared on his social media over the weekend, Dr Ranj said he loved his time on This Morning, however, decided to speak up after noticing a culture behind-the-scenes which he did not agree with.

The full statement reads: "I've thought long and hard about posting this. If I'm honest, I wish I didn't have to. But I've got to clarify some things that have been reported about me, and in the light of recent events, I finally feel like I might be believed.

"To the journalists who have offered me money this weekend to share my experience of working at This Morning, thank you, but it would go against my principles to 'sell my story' - especially about something like this. However, given that ITV have commented on my departure, I feel it's only fair for me to do so too to avoid any further conjecture.

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A post shared by Dr Ranj BSc (Hons) MBBS MRCPCH (@drranj)

"I was on the show for ten years and I genuinely loved and valued working there. However, over time, I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind-the-scenes and how people, including myself were being treated.

"I didn't know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with This Morning go far beyond him. It takes more than one person to create a culture."

So I did what I thought was right and, as ITV confirmed last night, I raised my concerns about Martin Frizell's behaviour (and the environment at This Morning) with Emma Gormley - especially given that my job is to look after people's wellbeing, and I had been heavily involved in diversity, anti-bullying, and mental health projects across the channel.

"But then I found myself being used less and less. I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV. The culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out.

"But as history and experience have taught us, things like bullying and discrimination are very hard to prove, particularly in hindsight and when the 'people in power' control the narrative. As we've seen, no review or investigation is foolproof. Still, I was assured that certain things were going to be addressed and changes made. I haven't worked on the show since... and I'm not the only one who has spoken up or experienced similar.

"That was two years ago, and frankly, it still hurts. The whole process was pretty heartbreaking and even affected my mental health. But I'm happy to say that I've found my feet again, know my worth and have found my tribe. So my general message to everyone is: look around you. Is this the place you want to be? Do you feel valued? Are you thriving or just surviving? Do you need to speak up?

"These are lesson I have learned my from time in the industry. I say it all with respect, kindness, and a desire to make things better. There are some good people in TV, but we need to be brave and stand up to those who aren't. Even if it's scary as hell, we have to do the right thing, otherwise nothing will change."

Phillip Schofield revealed he had an affair with a 'younger' member of the This Morning family . Picture: Getty

This Morning and Phillip Schofield respond

Following the release of the statement from Dr Ranj, ITV released a statement which read: "We are sorry to read Dr Ranj’s post today. At ITV we are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have."

They added: “Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent advisor to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination."

Phillip, who is no longer professionally working with ITV, released his own statement on Instagram the following day where he appeared to hit out at a number of people over claims of 'toxic' culture.

He wrote: "Now I no longer work on @thismorning 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."

Phillip Schofield released the following statement over the weekend. Picture: Instagram/Phillip Schofield

Phil went on: “This morning IS the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there there was no toxicity.

“You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like. But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know, it IS a family of wonderful, talented, kind, hard working people.”