Presenter Holly Willoughby has said that she felt "shaken, troubled, let down", and "worried" as she returned to This Morning on Monday after the Phillip Schofield affair furore.
Willoughby had been on a two-week half-term break following the shock departure of her former co-host Schofield and his subsequent admission of an affair with a younger male employee at ITV.
Opening Monday's show, she began: "Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you ok? I hope so. [It] Feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil.
"And I imagine that you have been feeling a lot like I have - shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what's been going on, and full of questions.
"You, me, and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process. And it's equally hard to see the toll it's taken on their own mental health.
"I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
"And from my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie (Gibson), Alison (Hammond), Dermot (O'Leary), Craig (Doyle), and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you this show that we love. So on that note, Josie..."
Willoughby and co-host Josie Gibson then hugged.
"All we can do now is be the family that we are," said Gibson.
"Exactly," Willoughby replied.
The Sun had earlier reported that Willoughby was planning to address the Schofield controversy on the show, telling viewers how difficult it had been behind the scenes.
The news came after Schofield said that he "didn't tell anybody" about his affair with his former This Morning colleague, confirming Willoughby "did not know" in a tell-all interview with BBC's Amol Rajan.
Willoughby and Schofield, who had presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted Dancing on Ice before Schofield resigned from ITV, had been open about their close friendship over the years.
Additional Reporting: Press Association
