Eamonn Holmes has suggested TV should “step back” and reevaluate what’s really entertainment following the recent incidents involving Coleen Nolan and Roxanne Pallett.
The 58-year-old said on Friday’s This Morning he thinks changes should be made, while chatting with fellow presenter Matthew Wright.
Coleen, 53, has stepped down from the Loose Women panel and postponed her solo tour after being subjected to online abuse following the show’s controversial interview with Kim Woodburn, 76, last week.
Former Emmerdale star Roxanne, 35, has stepped down from her breakfast radio job and a panto role, describing herself as “the most hated girl in Britain” after publicly apologising to actor Ryan Thomas, 34, for accusing him of punching her in the Celebrity Big Brother house.
Read more: Ryan Thomas’ mum says she’ll never forgive Roxanne Pallett
Eamonn said: “I feel for Coleen Nolan at the moment. A terrible situation there. And I think TV has to look at whether Kim Woodburn’s mental fragility or Roxanne Pallett, is that really entertainment?
“I think TV has to step back and look at all these things.”
Matthew agreed, saying: “TV is just a little bit too cruel at times. When someone does something wrong, it’s all very well saying, ‘You’ve done something wrong’. But if you encourage hundreds of thousands or millions of other people out there to [pile in with negative comments], then it becomes something very different.”
They broached the subject when Eamonn and Ruth Langsford asked Matthew if he’d watched the first episode of Jeremy Vine’s new Channel 5 show, which featured an exclusive interview with Roxanne.
Jeremy took over Matthew Wright’s old show, The Wright Stuff, after Matthew announced in May he would be leaving the programme.
Matthew said he didn’t tune in to watch the full episode of Jeremy’s first show, as his attitude is “don’t look back, look forward.”
However, he knew enough about Jeremy’s interview with Roxanne to suggest he would have been a “little bit firmer with her” in terms of questions.
Matthew continued to say that he was concerned about the level of online abuse being directed towards Roxanne.
“The same time, for everything that she did that was vile and unfair towards Ryan, and she did, it’s very interesting that the people that go out and say ‘you’re a bully or ‘you’re cruel,’ they don’t realise that by the time they’ve run Roxanne through the ringer, that they themselves have become bullies and cruel.
“And so at the moment, I feel very much for Ryan, and I feel Channel 5 and Big Brother hung him out to dry for a bit too long, but I also feel for Roxanne, because even though she might have made mistakes, nobody deserves that everyday.”
Coleen burst into tears on This Morning earlier this week as she recounted the abuse she’d received in the wake of Loose Women’s interview with Kim.
Kim had stormed off set in tears after the two women, who fell out on Celebrity Big Brother last year, failed to bury the hatchet.
A statement issued by Coleen’s rep said: “Following the constant online bullying, trolling and misrepresentation of her words and reactions, it is with sad regret that Coleen is taking an immediate hiatus form all her current commitments including Loose Women and postponing her Never Too Late solo concert tour.
“Coleen is devastated to let her supporters and fans down, but is currently not strong enough to withstand this constant unfounded online abuse, so she will be taking time out and spending it with her children and family where she feels loved and respected.”
Roxanne, meanwhile, has withdrawn from showbiz after outraging Big Brother viewers by accusing Ryan of punching her during what appeared to be a play fight.
Read more: Roxanne Pallett responds to backlash from former Emmerdale co-stars
Ryan, who apologised and said there was no malice, was given an official warning and seen breaking down distressed in the diary room over how the incident may have been portrayed to the outside world.
Roxanne then quit CBB and issued two public apologies to Ryan, one on Jeremy Vine and one in an interview with Emma Willis on CBB, saying she’d “got it wrong” and “mistook what was playful”.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10.30am on ITV.
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