ITV executives have stated that they did not "turn a blind eye" to rumors regarding ex-presenter Phillip Schofield's romance with a younger employee.
After confessing to lying about his relationship with the man, Schofield quit This Morning and the network last month.
The affair was "deeply inappropriate," ITV CEO Dame Carolyn McCall told MPs on Wednesday, but she had not had any proof until recently.
She went on to say that she was currently "very concerned" for Schofield's welfare.
Dame Carolyn and two additional executives were called to testify before the House of Commons culture, media, and sport committee to address inquiries regarding ITV's complaint and safeguarding policies.
"The imbalance of power and the imbalance in that relationship's dynamics make it deeply inappropriate," Dame Carolyn said, noting that she first learned of the rumors when Schofield came out as gay on the program in February 2020.
With rumors spreading on social media, she claimed that was the first time things became extremely tense.
She claimed that when they followed up by questioning Schofield about his alleged relationship, he responded with "straightforward categorical denials each time.".
Kevin Lygo, the director of television at ITV, assured the lawmakers that the relationship rumors were completely untrue as he looked them in the eye. ".
"We questioned both people repeatedly, both formally and informally," Dame Carolyn continued. No one brought us anything tangible, either from the production floor or from outside, because we lacked evidence. There was nothing but hearsay, rumors, and conjecture. ".
Nobody would be ignoring something, the speaker continued. A situation this serious would never be ignored by anyone on the management board. ".
Schofield claimed that the controversy had made him feel suicidal in an interview with the BBC earlier this month. Dame Carolyn announced that ITV was now covering his counseling.
Because she knew it was a "pretty major thing in his life," she claimed she spoke to Schofield the day before he resigned from This Morning.
Phillip is getting counseling, which ITV is paying for. He requested that, and we are happy to oblige," the woman said.
The young man, who met Schofield when he was 15 and received assistance breaking into the TV business, was also the subject of their "extreme concern," she continued, because "the level of intrusion in his life is unbelievably awful.".
She claimed that despite the fact that he left the company in 2021, ITV continued to give him "a whole series of duty of care [provisions] throughout.".
In a recent BBC interview, Schofield stated that although he could see why some might believe there was a power abuse, it "didn't feel like that at the time.".
In order to establish the truth about how it handled its own investigation of the scandal in 2020, the network has hired a lawyer to conduct an external review.
The ITV executives also refuted claims of a "toxic" workplace culture made by some former contributors.
Issues "go far beyond" Schofield, according to Dr. Ranj Singh, a ten-year This Morning employee.
Following Dr. Ranj's complaint, an independent review, according to ITV, "found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.".
Eamonn Holmes, a former co-host of This Morning who is now a presenter on GB News, has also charged Schofield with "toxicity."
