ITV bosses have denied treating Caroline Flack as a ‘commodity’ after the broadcaster was criticized by her household.
Chief government Dame Carolyn McCall, managing director Kevin Lygo and normal counsel and firm secretary Kyla Mullins appeared earlier than MPs on Wednesday following the revelations that one of many star presenters, Phillip Schofield, was having an affair with a a lot youthful colleague.
Nevertheless, different questions had been put to broadcaster bosses, together with the remedy of the previous Love Island presenter, who dedicated suicide in 2020 aged 40.
Final week, her mom Christine stated she believed ITV had made no enhancements within the care of its staff within the three years since her daughter’s demise, saying stars had been handled like ‘commodity’.
When requested concerning the allegations, Dame Carolyn was the primary to reply.
“I believe the very first thing we’d say is we’re genuinely deeply, deeply saddened by what occurred to Caroline,” she started.
“Folks knew her effectively at ITV and this is not one thing I can speak about as a result of I’ve spoken to lots of people at ITV who’ve labored together with her who actually loved working together with her and liked being together with her teaming up within the present. as a result of she liked engaged on the present.”
She added: “I believe the household is clearly grieving now and I might say we by no means really feel, by no means really feel like we’d deal with anybody like a commodity, be it a presenter, a employees member or a junior. individual coming in for work expertise.
“We actually would not wish to deal with anybody like a commodity.”
Turning to Lygo, he jumped in and stated that due to ‘issues in her non-public life’, Flack had advised ITV she did not really feel ‘match’ to host one other season of Love Island.
He defined that it was made “very clear” to her that the fact courting sequence was “her present,” saying she was advised she might have come again if she was able to return.
“We supplied her work and every thing else, so nobody would agree that we handled her like a commodity,” he stated.
Chairman Dame Caroline Dinenage then requested them if ITV was ‘utterly distinctive’ within the UK for having a present ‘now linked to 4 suicides’ that was additionally nonetheless on the air.
“I believe that is a gross misrepresentation of the present,” Dame Carolyn replied, stating that Flack had not been engaged on the present on the time of her demise.
“She went by some extraordinarily non-public issues in public, so I do not suppose you may simply correlate and say it was as a result of she was on the present,” she stated.
She referred to as the deaths linked to the present “deeply tragic”, added that they had been additionally “deeply distressing” for individuals engaged on the present and stated ITV had consulted professionals, who decided the deaths had been the results of a ‘advanced sequence of occasions’. occasions’.
Referring to ITV’s obligation of care, she stated the broadcaster had taken steps to guard each employees and expertise.
Earlier this month, Flack’s mum stated she did not suppose ITV had made any enchancment over the previous three years, citing their dealing with of Schofield’s departure for instance.
“They deal with them like commodities,” she stated of the celebs on the channel.
“I do know it is an excellent job they usually make cash, however TV channels make cash from it too,” she stated when talking to Victoria Derbyshire, including that she believed they weren’t being handled like human beings, however as a commodity.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
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