Revealed: ITV bosses WERE warned of ‘serious concerns’ about ex-This Morning star Schofield’s young lover

A senior manager of ITV’s Loose Women sent an email to the channel’s top bosses to express “serious concerns” about the welfare of the young man who had an affair with Phillip Schofield, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

ITV chiefs told MPs last month they were unaware of concerns over the production assistant, who worked on This Morning during their relationship with Mr Schofield.

But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that sources at the channel believe bosses, including general manager of entertainment Kevin Lygo, were aware of an email outlining concerns about the man’s well-being. The email warned that ITV had a duty of care towards him as a vulnerable worker. Sources close to Mr Lygo say he has ‘no recollection’ of it. No formal investigation has been launched.

There was no mention of this correspondence during a hearing of a select committee of the House of Commons, where Mr Lygo and ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall were questioned about the scandal last month.

The email was sent in early 2020 as rumors were rife within ITV that Mr Schofield was in an on-again, off-again relationship with the man – whom the network refers to as Person X.

By this time, he had moved from This Morning to Loose Women, following the end of the relationship. He was later paid by the network after a brief stint there.

The Mail on Sunday can also reveal that a number of star panelists on Loose Women expressed their fears to the show’s executives, who felt it was their duty to raise them with people higher up.

Eamonn Holmes said he and wife Ruth Langsford – an anchor on Loose Women – knew the man, now in his mid-twenties, was “vulnerable” and “bad” during the early months of 2020 and they were taking care of him.

A source told this paper: ‘Early 2020 was a very difficult time for some of the people working on Loose Women. They were deeply saddened to see Person X’s mental health deteriorate. They would see him struggle at work, as well as outside; they witnessed him in some troubling states.

“His behavior had become increasingly volatile, which all makes sense now. At the time, several people had heard rumors about his relationship and it was thought that the fact that he needed help with his mental health should be escalated higher up so he could get some support.

“It was then that the senior manager decided to put it in writing so there would be a paper trail of their concerns.”

However, Mr Lygo was almost speechless at the select committee hearing when questioned by MP John Nicolson about whether he had ever been approached by senior management with concerns about presenters, editors or the culture of This Morning.

Mr Lygo replied: ‘I don’t think I honestly remember’, before Mr Nicolson revealed a copy of an email purporting to show concerns had been raised about Mr Schofield’s conduct in 2021.

The correspondence – reportedly sent to an ITV staff member by someone on Mr Lygo’s team – stated that at a meeting on 4 October 2021, the staff member “referred to concerns about the conduct of Phillip Schofield and another colleague who reported to This Morning worked’. ‘.

The email continued, “I can’t share all the details, but I can find no evidence that Kevin Lygo has taken no action on the allegations you made against him.”

Meanwhile, sources at ITV say those at the top of the organization are now privately admitting that lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC, who is leading the external investigation into the Schofield scandal and toxic work culture at This Morning, could find some evidence of incidents involving the company strongly denied that it had taken place.

An ITV spokesperson said: ‘We have no record of the emails described,’ adding that the network has given the runner ongoing care.