Holly Willoughby has reportedly contacted celebrity chef James Martin after he was accused of bullying.
James, 51, cursed 42 times while inciting a rant against his television crew in 2018, shortly after his shock cancer diagnosis, with an extraordinary recording of the moment recently leaked.
And James could be sacked from ITV after senior executives were furious over allegations of his bullying behaviour.
The network is still reeling from the aftermath of the Phillip Schofield scandal, which was accompanied by allegations of a toxic culture on its flagship show This Morning.
This Morning host Holly, 42, is said to have contacted James after the footage was leaked after she herself was told to leave her daytime show as she was embroiled in the scandal surrounding her former co-host Phillip.
Outreach: Holly Willoughby, 42, has reportedly reached out to celebrity chef James Martin, 51, after he was accused of bullying (Holly pictured in March)
Trouble: James cursed 42 times in a foul-mouthed tirade at his television crew shortly after his cancer diagnosis in 2018, with an extraordinary recording of the moment recently leaked (pictured in January 2022)
A source told The Sun: “Holly has been supporting James Martin since the bullying allegations came to light.”
“He was there for her when it all started at ITV and now she’s returning the favor.”
“They’re good friends and keep in touch – although both weren’t on This Morning over the summer.”
Web has reached out to Holly and James’ representatives for comment.
James could be sacked from ITV after senior bosses were furious over allegations of his bullying behaviour.
Some executives at the network are lobbying for the cooking shows not to resume, the Mail revealed last month.
In leaked audio, James could be heard launching a 10-minute tirade against employees during a Zoom call in 2018.
The chef was heard cursing 42 times after a drain in his home became clogged while filming his show James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
The end? James could be sacked from ITV after senior bosses were furious over allegations of his bullying behavior (pictured in 2021)
At one point James could be heard telling his team to get “fucking fried” while in another outburst he suggested they spend their lunch break in the “fucking rain” as punishment.
The incident came to light after numerous complaints were made about the chef’s behavior during filming this year of James Martin’s Spanish Adventure, prompting an internal investigation into his conduct.
In response to ITV’s inquiry, James said he “deeply regrets” getting angry and agreed that “the lessons have been learned”.
Channel sources say they are under contract to produce another series of the programme, but there are currently no plans to order more from the star’s production company, Blue Marlin.
James revealed he had been waiting for surgery for facial cancer while swearing at his team.
But a staffer told the Chron: “There have now been a lot of allegations against James… while there is a series to sign, there is nothing else in the pipeline and there is heavy lobbying that he…” should not be logged in again.’
James – whose cheerful demeanor has made him a viewers’ favorite – was inundated with messages of support after a recording of the tirade was leaked to The Sun newspaper.
In a statement apologizing for his behavior, he revealed he was in a “very emotional state” following a series of personal tragedies.
He said, “The end of 2017 was one of the most tense and difficult times of my life.” I was dealing with the death of my last surviving grandparent, my grandfather, and was unable to attend his funeral due to work commitments.
Troubled times: Holly was urged to quit this morning when she became embroiled in the scandal surrounding her former co-host Phillip Schofield earlier in the year (Holly and Phillip pictured in May)
“Later that month I was broken into at night by a group of masked men who entered my home while my partner Louise was home alone and I was at work. I was devastated that she had to go through this alone.
“In addition, I was diagnosed with cancer of the face and had to undergo surgery, which I wasn’t able to do until two days before Christmas when we finished filming.”
“I was in a very emotional state after all the stress and when I found out after filming in early January 2018 that my house had been flooded during filming, I was extremely dismayed.
“All I can say is that I’m human and having faced increasing personal life pressures, I have to admit that I overreacted to the damage to my home.”