There was a very large elephant in the room on Monday’s (3 October) ‘This Morning’, after Holly Willoughby accidentally brought up the show’s former weatherman, Fred Talbot, who is now a convicted paedophile.
Talbot was jailed for five years in 2015, after he was found guilty of a number of sex attacks on young boys, while he was working as a teacher in the 1980s.
The presenter mentioned the ex-forecaster as she read out tweets from viewers who were joining in the ITV daytime show’s 28th birthday celebrations.
Reading from an iPad, Holly said: “Living in Liverpool, I remember going to the Docks where Fred The Weatherman used to stand on.”
Holly seemingly realised her gaffe, as her speech slowly tapered off.
Her co-host Phillip Schofield then began nervously giggling, as Holly and showbiz presenter Rylan Clark-Neal also tried to stifle their laughter.
“This Morning, still as subtle as ever,” Phillip joked.
The awkward moment did not go unnoticed by fans on Twitter, either:
Talbot presented the weather on ‘This Morning’ from a floating map at the show’s original home at Liverpool’s Albert Dock.
Prior to finding fame of the show, Talbot worked as a biology teacher at Altrincham Grammar School for boys in Greater Manchester, until May 1984.
‘This Morning’ airs weekdays at 10.30am on ITV.