Dr Ranj Singh has admitted to having a ‘particulary terrible week’ following his accusation that This Morning was ‘poison’ behind the scenes.
The trained doctor and TV personality worked as the resident doctor on the ITV daytime programme for a decade before claiming he was’managed out’ after voicing issues with managers about the show’s ethos.
The long-running show has been shaken after it was revealed that Phillip Schofield, 61, had an affair with a teenage runner, arguing the relationship was ‘unwise’ but ‘not illegal.’
Dr Ranj later teased on Instagram that he had’receipts’ in a now-deleted post, implying that there was ‘no toxicity’.
Dr Ranj, 43, appeared on Morning Live on Wednesday, when he referenced to his experience on This Morning during a mental health discussion with hosts Gethin Jones and Gaby Roslin, 58.
Gethin, 45, said to Dr Ranj: ‘As your friends and colleagues know you’re having a particularly tough week this week.’
‘Yeah,’ Dr Ranj replied.
Gethin continued: ‘We’re not going to go into the specifics of that but it has impacted your mental health. That’s absolutely fair to say.
‘Whether it is family, whether it’s work, whether it’s general life, anything really. What are the coping mechanisms?’
Dr Ranj responded: ‘So they’re different for everyone. But for me, it’s being aware of my feelings, using time for self care. Self care is not selfish. It’s OK to do that.
Dr. Ranj added to his list of mental health coping strategies: Pacing myself so that I’m not trying to complete everything at once. Physical exercise. Fitness is wonderful. Taking care of my sleep.
‘And leaning on those around me. Do you know what it comes to? It’s not just leaning on them. It’s showing kindness to others. It really make me feel better.’
Dr Ranj posted to Instagram on Sunday to ‘clarify things’ after claiming that he had been invited to discuss his experience working on This Morning, revealing that he thought ‘in light of recent events’ that he would ‘finally be believed’.
I’ve thought long and hard about posting this. If I’m honest, I really wish I didn’t have to. But I’ve got to clarify some things that have been reported about me, and in light of recent events, I finally feel like I might be believed…,’ he began his lengthy post.
‘To the journalists who have offered me money this weekend to share my experience of working at This Morning, thank you but it would go against my principles to “sell my story” – especially about something like this.
‘However, given that ITV have commented on my departure, I feel it’s only fair for me to do so too to avoid any further conjecture.’
The former Strictly Come Dancing judge went on to declare that he’d ‘genuinely liked and appreciated working’ at This Morning for the past ten years.
‘However over time I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind-the-scenes and how people, including myself, were being treated,’ he added.
‘I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with TM go far beyond him. It takes more than one person to create a culture.’
The doctor and children’s author then revealed he had ‘taken his concerns directly to the top of ITV’ before claiming that he ‘hadn’t worked on the show since’.
He continued: ‘I did what I thought was right and, as ITV confirmed last night, I raised my concerns about Martin Frizell’s behaviour (and the environment at TM) with Emma Gormley – especially given that my job is to look after people’s wellbeing and I had been heavily involved in diversity, anti-bullying and mental health projects across the channel.
‘I then found myself being used less and less,’ Dr Ranj added, saying that he told top bosses of the ‘toxic culture’ at This Morning before admitting he felt like ‘because I whistle-blew I was managed out’.
‘But as history and experience have taught us, things like bullying and discrimination are very hard to prove, particularly in hindsight and when the “people in power” control the narrative. As we’ve seen, no review of investigation is foolproof.
‘Still, I was assured that certain things were going to be addressed and changes made.’
He then shared: ‘I haven’t worked on the show since… and I am not the only one who has spoken up or experienced similar.’
The doctor revealed that the situation ‘still hurts’, describing the whole process as ‘pretty heartbreaking’ and saying it even affected his mental health.
‘But I’m happy to say I’ve found my feet again, know my worth and have found my tribe,’ he reassured followers.
‘So my general message to everyone is: look around you. Is this the place you want to be? Do you feel valued? Are you thriving or just surviving? Do you need to speak up?
‘These are lessons I’ve learned from my time in this industry. I say it all with respect, kindness and a desire to make things better.
There are some decent individuals in television, but we must be courageous and stand up to those that aren’t. Even though it’s terrifying, we have to do the right thing or nothing will change.’
‘I sincerely hope something good comes from all this,’ he signed off.
In response, an ITV spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry to read Dr Ranj’s post today. At ITV we are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have.
‘Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent advisor to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.’
Dr Ranj previously stepped out when stories of Schofield and Holly Willoughby‘s alleged ‘fallout’ first made headlines over a week ago, claiming it had given him a ‘wobble’ about being in the media.
Morning Live airs on BBC One on weekdays from 9.15am.
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