Dermot O'Leary acknowledged the scandals that had rocked This Morning for the past two years which put the backstage crew 'through the mill' as he accepted the Daytime gong at the National Television Awards on Wednesday.

The ITV chat show took home the award at London's O2 after missing out on the gong the previous two years.

Dermot, who presents the show on Fridays with Alison Hammond, was no doubt referring to the departure of former host Philip Schofield under a dark cloud after he admitting to having an affair with a younger male colleague. 

Speaking about the honour of collecting a gong after a tumultuous two years, Dermot said: 'Feels longer than two years since we accepted this award. 

'There is a team who have worked on the show since I started who have had to endure an awful lot of s**t. 

'Two and a half hours of live tele every day is quite simple but to do it under the spotlight of being on the front page of the news every day, we aren't supposed to be on the front page of the news. 

'This show holds a mirror up to Britain and provides entertainment so to reclaim this award is something we would never take lightly, it means an awful lots, especially to those people who have been through the mill.'

Although he didn't name her, it's possible Dermot may have been referring to former host Holly Willoughby as among those who have been 'put through the mill'.

Holly left This Morning in October 2023 after 14 years when she learned of a terrifying plot to kidnap, rape and murder her by former security guard Gavin Plumb.

He was later found guilty on all three charges and was sentenced to life in prison, but must serve at least 15 years in custody.

After Holly's stalker was sentenced, she released an empowering statement, thanking the police and her legal team who brought him to justice.

She said: 'As women we should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own homes.

'I will forever be grateful to the undercover police officer who understood the imminent threat, and to the Metropolitan and Essex police forces for their swift response.

'Thank you to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Rt Hon Mr Justice Murray, Alison Morgan KC, the members of the jury and all involved in this case for ensuring that justice was done and that the defendant will not be able to harm any more women.

'I would also like to commend the bravery of his previous victims for speaking up at the time. Without their bravery this conviction may not have been possible.'

After Phillip and Holly left the show, they were replaced by Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, resepectively.

The pair were both present at the National Television Awards and walked the red carpet together before joining their colleagues on stage to accept the Daytime gong. 

Cat said: 'We are so lucky to get to do this show, we all love it. Every single person who comes on, we love this show and it's like having a family.'