PIERS Morgan awkwardly ignored Alex Beresford after their dramatic clash on Good Morning Britain today – with Susanna Reid forced to introduce the star instead.
The presenters were joined by a selection of guests towards the end of today’s show to dissect their interview with Meghan Markle’s dad Thomas.
Kicking off the segment, 55-year-old Piers announced each of the guests taking part to viewers – but skipped 40-year-old Alex.
Noticing the exclusion, his co-host Susanna quickly added: “And Alex is here as well, of course.”
Alex smiled weakly, with Piers dismissing the blip by simply muttering: “Yeah” in agreement, before moving the conversation along.
Earlier in the show, there were shockwaves as Piers stormed off set after being confronted by Alex on his negative comments about Meghan Markle.
Alex criticised Piers‘ coverage of Meghan and Prince Harry’s bombshell Oprah interview on yesterday’s show, and was given his opportunity to speak about it today.
But Piers didn’t like what his co-star had to say, refusing to listen before snapping: “I’m not having this” and heading to the studio exit.
He was off-screen for almost 20 minutes, but later returned, slamming Alex for “launching a personal derogatory attack” on someone that he works with.
Fans at home couldn’t believe what they were seeing – with some accusing the host of being as sensitive as the “snowflakes” he regularly pokes fun at.
And surprisingly, Piers agreed with the sentiment – admitting that he is a “snowflake” but needed to “cool off” in a tweet shared after the show.
Alex and Piers were visibly frosty from the start of the show, with Alex tweeting yesterday about how disappointed he was in Piers’ reaction to Meghan and Harry’s claims.
After detailing his sympathy for Prince Harry, Alex said to Piers today: “I understand that you don’t like Meghan Markle, you’ve made it so clear a number of times on this programme.
“I understand you’ve got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle, or had one and she cut you off… She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to.
“Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don’t think she has, but yet you continue to trash her.”
Piers and Meghan famously went for a drink in June 2016, around the time that she started dating Prince Harry, but he claims he never heard from her again.
Alex’s remark clearly hit a nerve, with Piers dramatically standing up and saying: “Okay, I’m done with this.”
Making his way to the studio exit, he continued: “Sorry, see you later, I can’t do this.”
Exasperated Alex looked emotional as he responded: “Absolutely diabolical behaviour, I’m sorry but Piers spouts off on a regular basis and we all have to sit here and listen.
“From 6.30 to 7am yesterday, it was incredibly hard to watch. He has the ability to come in here and talk from a position that he doesn’t fully understand.”
It comes as…
- Prince Harry hit the ‘nuclear button’ on his family in the interview, insiders claimed
- Meghan Markle is reported to have slammed the door in Kate Middleton’s face when the duchess tried to apologise over an incident over flower girl dresses
- ITV Hub crashed as the interview was broadcast on the UK screens
- Oprah revealed Prince Harry insisted the Queen and Prince Philip were not the Royals who expressed concerns about Archie’s skin colour
- A new photograph of the couple with Archie was released
- Thomas Markle will be interviewed on GMB
- Harry and Meghan held a private ‘exchange of vows’ before their wedding
- The full transcript of the interview can be read here
As he trailed off, shocked Susanna Reid said that everybody needed a “break”, as the show cut to advertisements.
When the show returned, Charlotte Hawkins took over – welcoming viewers back as though nothing had happened while Alex, Susanna, and Piers remained off-screen.
They returned a little while later, when Piers fumed: “What we need to do is talk about it in a civilised manner, considering we work on the same show on the same team.”
Alex insisted that he “respected” his co-star as he said that he wasn’t accusing Piers of being racist.
He revealed that the reason he was so upset with comments made on the Oprah show were because he’d been asked a similar question about what his unborn child’s skin tone would be.
Alex said that a work colleague, not from Good Morning Britain, had asked “what shade of cocoa is he going to come out?”, adding: “When you’re mixed race, people say things to you that they wouldn’t say to a black person.”
He went on to urge Piers to be “aware of the power of his words”, adding: “I feel because of your previous relationship with Meghan Markle – “
But furious Piers cut him off as he tried to distinguish between the question about skin tone being asked as a “passing comment” or in a “derogatory way”.
Susanna desperately attempted to diffuse the two men, repeatedly asking for them to discuss this later.
Piers went on to point out that he had asked for Alex to be on the show today due to a “thoughtful text” he’d received from the star yesterday.
However, he took issue with Alex making things “personal” – which Alex strongly denied.
