Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is believed to have lodged a formal complaint with ITV following Piers Morgan’s comments about her mental health.
Piers, 55, has left Good Morning Britain after five years following a controversial 48 hours, during which he questioned Meghan Markle’s revelation that she felt suicidal and stormed off set during a row with Alex Beresford.
According to the Guardian and the Telegraph, his departure came after ‘a formal complaint was lodged with ITV on behalf of the duchess after the broadcast’.
The Telegraph said that a spokesperson for ITV ‘refused to deny’ the reports; Metro.co.uk has contacted ITV for further comment.
In addition, Ofcom received 41,000 complaints about Piers’s comments on Monday’s show.
During Meghan and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess of Sussex said that while she was pregnant with their son Archie, relentless abuse made her feel like she ‘didn’t want to be alive anymore’.
She said: ‘Look, I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he has suffered, but I knew that if I didn’t say it, then I would do it. I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.’
Meghan then claimed that she asked ‘the institution’ for help, but was refused psychiatric treatment, saying: ‘I went to Human Resources but they said: ‘There is nothing we can do to help you because you are not a paid member of the institution.’ Nothing was ever done.’
Following the broadcast, Piers questioned Meghan’s claims, saying: ‘Who did you go to? What did they say to you? I’m sorry, I don’t believe a word she said, Meghan Markle. I wouldn’t believe it if she read me weather report. The fact that she’s fired up this onslaught against our Royal family I think is contemptible.’
There was instant backlash against the comments, with mental health organisation Mind, which has worked with ITV, calling the comments ‘disappointing and concerning’.
ITV CEO Dame Carolyn McCall said that the station believed Meghan, saying: ‘I completely believe what she said, that the most important thing with mental health that ITV does and is totally committed to, is that we support, we get people to speak up, we listen, we say everyone has to listen and everyone has to believe because that’s how you get people to speak up. So we are very committed to that.’
A day later, it was confirmed that Piers would be leaving GMB.
A statement from ITV read: ‘Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain.
‘ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.’
It was claimed that Piers quit the show after refusing to apologise on-air for his comments about Meghan.
He has since stood by his comments, tweeting: ‘On Monday, I said I didn’t believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I’ve had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don’t. If you did, OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I’m off to spend more time with my opinions.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for the Duchess of Sussex and ITV for comment.
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Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview: Key moments
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spoken to Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview about their decision to step back as senior working members of the Royal Family.
Here are the key points from the interview, which UK viewers can watch at 9pm on ITV on Monday, March 8.
- Meghan says it was Kate who made her cry over flower girls, not other way round
- Meghan says Harry was told there were ‘concerns how dark’ Archie would be
- Harry and Meghan reveal the gender of their baby due in summer
- Meghan sobs as she says pressures of royal life drove her to the verge of suicide
- Prince Charles stopped taking Harry’s calls after he quit Royal Family
- Harry says Meghan saved him from being ‘trapped’ like Prince Charles and Prince William are
- Princess Diana would be ‘sad and angry about how this has panned out’
- Meghan and Harry share adorable new video of son Archie at the beach
- Harry confirms terrible rift with William and says their relationship is now just ‘space’
- Queen ‘ghosted Harry during Megxit talks and got aide to say she was too busy’
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