This Morning responds after Eamonn Holmes brands ITV "sly" over exit
"This isn't a version of events that we recognise," a spokesperson told RadioTimes.com.
In a new interview, Eamonn Holmes, who announced his departure from his long-standing role as This Morning host late last year and has since joined the breakfast team at GB News, claimed ITV "made it look as if I’d walked away from them rather than the other way round".
"No one explained anything to me," he told the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine. "I’m all for TV companies being able to choose who works for them, but it would be nice if you were told why you were going.
"They're sly," the GB News presenter continued. "They didn't want to announce that I'd been dropped because it would adversely affect audience figures, so they made it look as if I'd walked away from them rather than the other way round.
"They had a chat with my agent and announced that I was going to GB News when they'd done no more than ask if I'd be interested in joining them."
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ITV has since issues a response to Holmes' account, with a spokesperson telling RadioTimes.com: "This isn't a version of events that we recognise and as we have said before we wish Eamonn all of the very best."
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Holmes hosted Friday instalments of This Morning alongside his wife Ruth Langsford for 15 years before his departure.
Following his latest comments about his exit, a source told RadioTimes.com Holmes and Langsford as a duo were still part of the This Morning team after it was announced last year that Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond would be taking over the Friday slot, adding that it was Holmes' choice to leave for a new job.
Read more:
- Eamonn Holmes moves to GB News after leaving This Morning
- How to watch GB News
- Sky News presenter Stephen Dixon quits after 21 years to join GB News
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV. Eamonn Holmes hosts GB News' weekday breakfast show at 6am. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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