Entertainment
Dan Walker’s blistering comment amid Piers Morgan’s GMB exit: ‘If you want a show happy to exploit mental health…you’re in the wrong place’
BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker has continued to kick the boot into Piers Morgan amid the presenter’s departure from Good Morning Britain.
The ITV star was met with more than 41,000 Ofcom complaints following his comments on Meghan Markle, and last night it was announced Piers had quit the flagship show.
He had earlier caused outrage saying he ‘didn’t believe’ the Duchess of Sussex when she revealed she felt suicidal while pregnant with her son Archie, after the former Suits star opened up about her mental health in the now notorious interview with Oprah Winfrey alongside Prince Harry.
Reacting to Piers quitting on Tuesday night, Dan had invited the journalist onto his Beeb show in a cheeky move akin to the usual repartee between the two TV stalwarts.
Doubling down on his feelings about the former tabloid editor’s ITV exit today, Dan took to Twitter to let viewers of his morning show know in no uncertain terms if they wanted a show like ‘you know who’ they were out of luck.
He wrote: ‘To all the shouty, sweary people telling me I’m nothing like you know who… thank you.
‘If you want a programme happy to exploit issues like mental health to create controversy, division & clicks I’m delighted to say… you’re in the wrong place.’
‘Have a wonderful Wednesday.’
Hinting he had received abuse following his earlier blistering response to Piers’s move (after earlier tearing strips into the Meghan coverage), Dan had thanked fans for their support – saying he had ‘glossed over most of the insults and sweary fury of the last few hours’.
Dan had shared his commiserations with Piers last night, after the pair had got into a palaver over the ratings of their respective shows, after GMB achieved a high following the coverage of Harry and Meghan’s interview.
The host wrote: ‘Sorry to hear the news about your departure from GMB @piersmorgan.
‘If you’d like to come on the UK’s number 1 breakfast show to talk about it… we could make some space for you in the morning.’
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Sadly it seemed Piers wasn’t going to take Dan up on the offer, however Dan and Louise dissected the matter with TV critic Scott Bryan who appeared in a segment dedicated to the news.
Over on GMB Piers’s co-host Susanna Reid addressed the shock departure of her long-time co-host, who she has helmed the show alongside for the past five years.
She said: ‘A number of people will of course know the news and many of you will not and will be surprised that Piers Morgan is not here this morning.
‘Now, Piers and I have disagreed on many things and that dynamic was one of the things that viewers loved about the programme.
‘He is, without a doubt, an outspoken, challenging, opinionated, disruptive broadcaster.’
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She continued: ‘Now Piers has decided to leave the programme. Some of you may cheer and others will boo. He’s been my presenting partner, Monday to Wednesday, for more than five years. From Brexit to the pandemic, and other issues, he has been a voice for many of you and a voice that many of you have railed against.
‘It is certainly going to be very different but shows go on and so on we go.’
An earlier statement announcing the news 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.’
