Eamonn Holmes heaps praise on revamped This Morning’s ‘star of the show’ - And it’s NOT Holly Willoughby

Schofield had admitted to an affair with a much younger colleague, a development which put Willoughby under scrutiny given her long-term association with the disgraced presenter.

Willoughby denied having any knowledge of the relationship which Schofield dubbed “unwise, but not illegal”.

Schofield also told The Sun and the BBC that Willoughby did not know about the affair, and has apologised for lying to her.

Despite Willoughby’s highly anticipated return, GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes believes praise should be aimed elsewhere.

Holmes says Willoughby’s co-host on the day, Josie Gibson, handled the occasion well and even had praise for her accent.

Speaking on GB News, he said: “The star of the show yesterday for me was Josie Gibson, it’s lovely to hear a West Country accent, isn’t it?”

Concurring with the statement was Isabel Webster, Holmes’ GB News Breakfast co-presenter, who said Gibson’s accent was “so warm”.

She added: “There aren’t enough West Country accents on TV, why is that?

“I went to university in Bristol and I ended up staying there for a decade. My heart is totally in the West Country and my mother is in Somerset.”

Willoughby marked her return to the show on Monday with a short monologue addressing the Schofield scandal.

Seated next to Gibson, she said: “Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil.

“And I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions.”

She continued: “You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV, and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.

“And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health.

“I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal, for the health and wellbeing of everyone.”

Willoughby had been absent from the ITV show during the furore and sparked a significant surge in viewer with her return.

The 839,000 average marked its highest daily average since the Coronation bank holiday on May 8.

The peak audience - the highest number of viewers watching at any one time - was 1.6 million, marking nearly double the average for the whole programme.

Schofield has spoken about the toll the fallout from the scandal has had on his mental health, telling the Sun it has had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind and he is currently getting by “hour by hour”.

Holmes has previously made allegations regarding the culture behind the scenes at This Morning in the wake of Schofield’s departure, saying the “toxicity” was “with him”.

He is not the only former prominent figure from the show to speak out, with ex-resident health expert Dr Ranj alleging a culture of “bullying” behind the scenes.

ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall has been called to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.