Holly Willoughby has officially addressed the ongoing Phillip Schofield scandal on her return to This Morning on Monday.
Making her first appearance since the pair both dropped off the show following Schofield’s admission that he had a relationship with a younger man who worked on the show, his former co-presenter jumped straight into the issue at the top of the show.
“Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange sitting here without Phil and I know that you might be feeling a lot like I have: shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing on all sides of what’s been going on, and have lots of questions.
“You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career they loved. That is a lot to process and it’s equally hard to see the toll that has taken on their own mental health.”
Holly Willoughby’s opening statement on her This Morning return.
The 42-year-old went on to say, “I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
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“From my heart, can I just say thank you for all your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and everyone who works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love.”
Stand-in host Josie Gibson then hugged Holly and said: “All we can do now is be the family that we are”.
After making it through the statement, Holly and Josie then jumped back into the regularly scheduled programming as usual.
As for the scandal itself, Schofield recently gave an exclusive interview with the BBC admitting that his “career is over” and had “suicidal thoughts” after the story broke, as well as insisting that he hasn’t spoken with Holly since apart from sending her an apology via text following his own statement.
The 61-year-old continues to deny allegations that he groomed the man he maintained a relationship with for a number of years but ITV has stated that they are continuing to investigate the situation following his resignation.
Limited 10k places left as Great Manchester Run half marathon sells out once again
Danny Jones
The AJ Bell Great Manchester Run half marathon has officially sold out yet again for 2025, with just a small number of 10k places left.
With thousands of Mancs and visitors to the region having earned themselves glory at this year’s Manchester Marathon, attention has already turned to the next big event: the Great MCR Run.
Returning for its 22nd year, AJ Bell is bringing the Great Manchester Run back to the city and while tickets for the longest distance may have been snapped up as per, anyone debating taking on the 10k still has time to get their bib through the post.
Go on, you know what want the finish line feeling – not to mention a shiny new medal to score some well-deserved free pints on the day.
Yes, while spaces on the Great Manchester Run have already sold out in no time, there are are now less than 500 still left to grab for the 10k.
The question is, will you be one of them?
Final entries are available for £45 but there are also a select few charity places for anyone who backs themself to raise enough money before race day.
Taking place on Sunday, 18 May, with the first runners getting underway from approximately 8:10am, you’ve not got long to decide whether you want to be part of the action.
It’s worth also worth noting that if you missed out on the half marathon this year but fancy giving the next one a go, you can set a reminder for 2026 entries now.
One final thing: last minute Great Manchester Run entrants for the 10k must be aged 15 and over; a booking fee of £2.50 per entry will also applied at checkout.
Beyond that, provided you’ve got the training under your belt/you already a solid fitness base, the only thing that’s left to do is get ready for the starting gun. You can even take part in the official shake-out run, if you fancy it.
See you for the post-race pints and hopefully some PB showboating!
Say hello to the Official AJ Bell Great Manchester Run Shakeout with @Mitchum – powered by Manchester Run Club 🏃♂️⚡
📍 Great Northern Square 🗓️ 8:30AM | Saturday 17th May 🏃♂️ 5km route
Five retired GMP officers arrested following investigation into sexual exploitation of a girl in the 1960s
Emily Sergeant
Five retired police officers have been arrested as part of an investigation into the sexual exploitation of a girl in Manchester in the 1960s.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the arrests were made after months of detailed enquiries to identify suspects from allegations made by a woman – who was younger than 16 at the time when the offending began.
Some of the offenders are believed to be officers from a dedicated unit that worked to safeguard sex workers in Manchester at the time, according to GMP.
Three of the arrests were made after warrants were executed in Bolton, Bury, and Trafford last month, while the other two suspects were arrested this month.
The suspects – who are each between the ages of 73 and 81 – have been questioned on suspicion of sexual offences and misconduct, and at this time, GMP says they are on conditional bail as police enquiries continue.
We’ve arrested five retired GMP officers as part of an investigation into the sexual exploitation of a girl in Manchester in the 1960s.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 6, 2025
The victim involved is also being continuously supported by specialist officers and partner agencies throughout the investigation.
GMP said in a statement of intent that ‘no matter when abuse has taken place’ and ‘no matter who by’ either, the force is there to listen to and support victims, and take necessary action.
“We commend the woman’s courage for coming forward and supporting this investigation,” commented Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said.
“We do not underestimate how difficult it is for her to relive details of this horrendous abuse decades on from the time it was happening, and I’m sure the public will be as troubled as I am that five former officers are suspected of being involved in the abuse of a woman when she was a vulnerable child and adult who needed their protection.”
Five retired GMP officers have been arrested following an investigation into the sexual exploitation of a girl in the 1960s / Credit: RawPixel
ACC Parker insisted that ‘no abuser is immune from justice’ and ‘time is no barrier’.
She continued: “The GMP of today is absolutely committed to ensuring victims are listened to and supported, regardless of who’s committed these offences and how long ago it occurred.
“Our investigation will go to all necessary lengths to uncover the full facts of these allegations and to ensure any offenders are rightly brought to justice.”
Anyone affected by this case, or who may have any relevant information, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting ‘Op Salvador’.
Danny Jones -
5th June 2023 
