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Phillip Schofield has been criticised for an offhand remark he made about Alzheimer’s disease on today’s This Morning, with some dubbing it ‘tasteless’ and ‘disgusting’.
Dementia, the Alzheimer’s Society explains, is a term used to describe a set of symptoms that can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour, with Alzheimer’s being the most common form.
On Wednesday’s edition of This Morning, Phillip and Holly Willoughby were joined by Dr Nighat Arif to discuss the latest news headlines, one of them being the report that viagra could potentially be used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.
As Phillip introduced the segment, he stated that Alzheimer’s is a ‘horrible’ disease, before making the comment that has sparked controversy.
‘So you can remember you’ve left the front door open, but you can’t get close enough to close it,’ he said.
Dr Nighat didn’t address the remark, continuing to discuss the topic of conversation at hand.
One person lambasted the ‘disgusting remarks from Phil’, tweeting: ‘Obviously he’s never been at the bedside of a dying relative with this awful disease.’
‘Making a pathetic innuendo joke about having an erection and Alzheimer’s is a new low for you @Schofe,’ another said.
‘Good on the doctor for ignoring your attempt at trying to go viral with your flippant comment.’
Someone else slammed the remark as a ‘tasteless joke’, while another questioned: ‘Did he really say that?’
Nonetheless, a few people found the comment funny, referring to it as a ‘joke’ on Twitter.
Phillip’s comment on Alzheimer’s comes shortly after he received heat for a remark he made about dyslexia while speaking to former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The This Morning presenter took the opportunity of the interview to question Mr Hancock on breaking Covid rules in the summer, when a video was released of the politician by The Sun sharing an intimate moment with his colleague Gina Colangelo.
‘Was it your dyslexia that meant you misread the social distancing rules?’ he said, as Mr Hancock replied: ‘No, I can’t blame that in dyslexia or on anything else. In fact, I’m not asking for any special favours because I’m dyslexic.
After the latest episode of This Morning, one person tweeted: ‘I’m still waiting for Phil’s apology to dyslexic sufferers,’ while another said: ‘First takes p**s out of dyslexia now Alzheimer’s on #ThisMorning.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted ITV and Phillip’s representative for comment.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
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