Jason Gardiner calls for end to ‘toxic’ ITV culture amid Phillip Schofield scandal

ICONINSIDER — Jason Gardiner was “p***** off” by Phillip Schofield’s response when he quizzed him about his relationship with a ‘This Morning’ colleague.
The 61-year-old presenter resigned from ITV’s flagship daytime show last month after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal relationship” with the unnamed runner, and now his former ‘Dancing On Ice’ co-star has admitted he asked him about the rumours while also sending a heartfelt message of support via a Twitter direct message when Phillip came out as gay in 2020.
Jason told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: “I went into a bit of a tailspin.
“I said, ‘I know this is a very difficult moment for you and I support you in your decision to come out, but I also feel that I need to ask you about certain rumours that are going around online and are you aware of them?’.”
He claimed Phillip simply replied: “Seriously?”
Jason was infuriated and “uneasy” with the response.
He said: “That was it. It was very dismissive and that made me uneasy because I thought, ‘I’ve reached out to you very authentically’, and it kind of really p***ed me off.”
The 51-year-old choreographer was an original judge on ‘Dancing On Ice’ from 2006 but left in 2019 after feeling “isolated and hung out to dry” when he claimed ITV failed to support him during his feud with contestant Jemma Collins, and he’s blasted the entire network.
He fumed: “ITV has its Be Kind campaign and has made this big push for male mental health — but it’s all bulls**t.
“There was no consideration for my mental health, my well-being, what I was going through.
“The thing that is so distasteful to me is that I worked hard for them, I gave them great shows, and I know that I helped make that show a success.
“I believe this toxic culture will destroy itself. This is opening Pandora’s box, and rightly so.”
Jason is happy to assist KC Jane Mulcahy with her independent investigation into ‘This Morning’ following the scandal surrounding its ousted presenter.
He said: “I would happily talk to her, she can give me a call. The fish rots from the head . . . there’s a lot of toxic people still in control.
“Nobody should have to go through that stuff at work. To be bullied, to be pressured, to be threatened like I was is completely unprofessional and unacceptable…
“I don’t want people to think I’m speaking to you for publicity, I’m very happy in my life now.
“I just want this toxic culture to stop. And there are going to be more casualties if this isn’t properly addressed.
“They can’t just gloss over it any more.”

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