Kerry Katona has slammed Phillip Schofield's return to TV as "tone-deaf".
Kerry Katona has slammed Phillip Schofield's upcoming return to television
The 62-year-old former broadcaster dramatically quit his long-running role on 'This Morning' in June 2023 after admitting to lying about his extramarital affair with a younger male colleague and as he gears up to retun to screens with his new reality documentary 'Cast Away', former Atomic Kitten star Kerry has blasted the whole thing as a "really self-indulgent move" even though she still intends to tune in.
Writing in her OK! Magazine column, she said: "Phillip Schofield is back on screen this week with his Channel 5 show 'Cast Away' and I was quite surprised at his return to television. If I’m honest, I think it’s a really self-indulgent move to have him alone on a desert island, playing the pity card. He talks about living with absolutely nothing on this island, but then he goes back to his big house, wealth and home comforts. I think it’s really tone-deaf. Saying that, we’re obviously all watching it, aren’t we?"
As part of the trailer for 'Cast Away', Phil questioned whether his affair with a younger male colleague was enough to "absolutely destroy" him, as he gears up for the new three-part series.
Speaking in a trailer for the upcoming show, he said: "I’ve been cast away on a desert island, completely on my own, all I have is camera gear, and I can say whatever I want about whatever I want.
"It’s my chance to tell my side of my story.
"I know what I did was unwise, but is it enough to absolutely destroy someone?"
Following her days as a pop singer, Kerry became a reality TV favourite as the winner of 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!' and made appearances on shows like 'Dancing on Ice' and 'Loose Women' but admitted that one interview on 'This Morning' with Phillip in 2008 when she had been slurring her words had left her in the depths of depression.
She later explained it was a side effect of the medication she was taking at the time, but was left embroiled in a public feud with host Phillip - which has since been resolved - and previously admitted that her appearance left her so low because there was a lack of "aftercare" from the broadcaster.
Speaking on GB News' 'Dan Wootton Tonight', she said: "I'm not here to jump on the bandwagon and pull Phillip Schofield down, we actually did kiss and make up. When he came out, I sent him a text saying he was very brave so I don't wanna be a two-faced person, I have moved on from that.
"What I am here to say is that [because of] the culture at ITV and the toxicity, and the aftercare is so lack-of that I was left [wanting to take my own life]. No one reached out to me whatsoever, it was so disgusting!
"When I got home after that interview, it was like a crime scene. There were reporters, camera crews, and paparazzi.
"ITV never once reached out to me and said 'Kerry, can we help you in any way? Could you just explain to us what bipolar is and what is the medication you're on?' Nobody wanted to work with me again and I've been very fortunate and lucky enough that I've turned my life around."
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