PIERS Morgan has revealed that Good Morning Britain bosses blocked his emails before sacking him – then begging him to return
The 56-year-old star sensationally walked away from the breakfast show back in March after bosses demanded he apologised to Meghan Markle for comments he made about her on air.
In his exclusive first newspaper interview since leaving, the TV favourite has shared some more information about what went on behind the scenes.
On his final episode, Piers sensationally walked off set after clashing with Alex Beresford about comments Meghan and Prince Harry made in their bombshell Oprah interview.
The explosive exchange ended up becoming the most complained about moment in television history – and was also GMB’s most watched, with Piers and Susanna Reid overtaking their BBC Breakfast rivals in the ratings for the very first time.
However, Piers has now told HOAR that he was unable to see the ratings success for himself because ITV’s IT department unceremoniously deactivated his email account.
He later revealed that panicked ITV bosses have since approached him to return to the show in the wake of its plummeting ratings.
The TV presenter told us: “I have had some quite random third party feelers put out to see if I would consider a return to the show.
“I don’t want to say on the record who, but a pretty close third party… As the Americans say, they reached out – there have been approaches to test the water in the wake of their obvious ratings issues.
“It makes me sad to see all the hard work we did to beat the BBC in viewing numbers evaporate so fast. It’s their problem to work out… but never say never.”
He teased that he would “seriously consider” returning to the breakfast show – but with one very big condition.
The star shared: “I would seriously consider [going back] if I could rip it all up, and do it my way. If I could produce it as well as present.”
Piers went on to insist that he had “no doubt” he could get revive the failing ratings, adding: “But the doubt is, would would anyone be allowed to do it that way again?
“I was hired to give very strong, honestly held opinions, which I did. But in the end I was asked to apologise for a genuinely held opinion.”
That opinion, of course, was that the Duchess of Sussex repeatedly lied during her controversial televised interview with Oprah, and badly besmirched the Royal family.
It subsequently transpired Meghan, 39, had contacted ITV boss Carolyn McCall and complained to broadcasting watchdog, Ofcom.
She accused the presenter of dismissing her claims of feeling suicidal and potentially harming those with mental health issues during the row.
Piers refused to apologise for his comments, but told us that there was one thing that he did regret: walking off set.
He explained: “I shouldn’t have walked off though, I do regret that.
“You can’t be the great crusader of free speech and then walk off when someone says something you don’t like.”
Piers also said that he’d heard from all of his old GMB colleagues apart from Alex, but had “no leaving do, no carriage clock”.
While show bosses might be desperate to poach him back, Piers has been inundated with other job offers and his popularity is only increasing.
He gets stopped around 40 times a day and asked for a selfie – “it’s actually quite unsettling to be this popular” – and is, genuinely, overwhelmed by the public show of support.
In terms of his next career move, Piers told us: “I’m open to anything really, and I wouldn’t mind working in Los Angeles again.
“I’m having some interesting discussions but but the nature of television is changing – how people watch and consume it, so I will definitely do something on camera – it’s just how that manifests itself.”
He went on: “I’ve already got a fledging production company, and I’ve had a lot of people who want to invest in me: give me a lot of money to do my thing. So who knows? But it’s exciting.”
Of course, Piers hasn’t cut off all ties with ITV and Sunday night [30 May] airs a one hundred special of his hit Life Stories series.
And on Tuesday his grilling of Labour leader Keir Starmer will be screened.
- Piers Morgan’s Life Stories airs on Sunday night on ITV1 at 9pm
