Piers Morgan hits back at rival Dan Walker after BBC star mocks GMB host for storming off set in Meghan Markle row
PIERS Morgan hit back at BBC rival Dan Walker after the Breakfast host mocked him for storming off air this morning.
GMB host Piers angrily left the studio after his colleague Alex Beresford criticised his response to the Meghan Markle interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest news...
Afterwards, Dan shared a picture of himself and co-star Louise Minchin on Twitter and wrote: “This was taken a few seconds before I stormed off set because Carol said it was going to be chilly this weekend.”
It caught the attention of Piers, who responded: “I’m surprised BBC bosses didn’t storm in and drag you off set after yesterday’s ratings came in.”
In another stinging jibe, Dan then referenced the backlash to Piers’s comments on Meghan’s suicidal thoughts.
He wrote: “Congratulations on your ratings. Ours were good too.
“In other news… I hope my boss would have dragged me off set if I’d used my platform – on national TV – to tell a pregnant woman, speaking openly about suicidal thoughts, that I didn’t believe a word she said.”
The pair, who insist they have a good relationship in person, regularly trade off on social media, with Piers usually calling out Dan for being “too soft” in his interviews with politicians.
GMB achieved record ratings yesterday as millions tuned in to see the analysis of Harry and Meghan’s 90-minute special.
This was taken a few seconds before I stormed off set because Carol said it was going to be chilly this weekend
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) March 9, 2021https://t.co/qR4m89NXJ3
On this morning’s show, Alex Beresford spoke calmly about his view on the interview, and criticised 55-year-old Piers for his coverage in which he said he “didn’t believe a word” Meghan said.
But Piers refused to listen and snapped: “I’m not having this” as he left the set.
The pair were visibly frosty from the off, with the two having a tense exchange at the start of the show when Piers told Alex “hold on, we’ll come to you in a sec” after Susanna Reid said that they were going to him for his view on the chat.
Susanna persevered, asking Alex a question about Harry and Meghan, to which he replied: “They have had an overwhelming amount of negative press.
“I watched the programme yesterday and yes, they had some great press around the wedding but what press is going to trash someone’s special day?
“There was bad press around the engagement, before the engagement, and everything that has followed since has been incredibly damaging, quite clearly to Meghan’s mental health and also to Harry.
“I hear Piers say that William has gone through the same thing but siblings experience tragedy in their life and one will be absolutely fine and brush it off, and the other will not be able to deal with it so strongly and that is clearly what has happened with Prince Harry in this situation.
“He walked behind his mother’s coffin at a tender, tender age in front of the globe – that is going to shape a young boy for the rest of his life so I think we all need to take a step back.”
He continued to Piers: “I understand that you don’t like Meghan Markle, you’ve made it so clear a number of times on this programme.
“I understand you’ve got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle, or had one and she cut you off… She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to.
“Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don’t think she has, but yet you continue to trash her.”
Piers and Meghan famously went for a drink in June 2016, around the time that she started dating Prince Harry, but he claims he never heard from her again.
Alex’s remark clearly hit a nerve, with Piers dramatically standing up and saying: “Okay, I’m done with this.”
Making his way to the studio exit, he continued: “Sorry, see you later, I can’t do this.”
Exasperated Alex responded: “Absolutely diabolical behaviour, I’m sorry but Piers spouts off on a regular basis and we all have to sit here and listen.
“From 6.30 to 7am yesterday, it was incredibly hard to watch. He has the ability to come in here and talk from a position that he doesn’t fully understand.”
As he trailed off, shocked Susanna said that everybody needed a “break”, as the show cut to advertisements.
When the show returned, Charlotte Hawkins took over – welcoming viewers back as though nothing had happened while Alex, Susanna, and Piers remained off-screen.
Piers returned to the set almost 20 minutes later, where he slammed Alex for “launching a personal derogatory attack” on someone that he works with.
Piers said: “What we need to do is talk about it in a civilised manner, considering we work on the same show on the same team.”
Alex insisted that he “respected” his co-star and said that he wasn’t accusing Piers of being racist.
He revealed that the reason he was so upset with comments made on the Oprah show were because he’d been asked a similar question about what his unborn child’s skin tone would be.
Alex said that a work colleague, not from Good Morning Britain, had asked “what shade of cocoa is he going to come out?”, adding: “When you’re mixed race, people say things to you that they wouldn’t say to a black person.”
It comes as…
- Prince Harry hit the ‘nuclear button’ on his family in the interview, insiders claimed
- Meghan Markle is reported to have slammed the door in Kate Middleton’s face when the duchess tried to apologise over an incident over flower girl dresses
- ITV Hub crashed as the interview was broadcast on the UK screens
- Oprah revealed Prince Harry insisted the Queen and Prince Philip were not the Royals who expressed concerns about Archie’s skin colour
- A new photograph of the couple with Archie was released
- Thomas Markle will be interviewed on GMB
- Harry and Meghan held a private ‘exchange of vows’ before their wedding
- The full transcript of the interview can be read here
He went on to urge Piers to be “aware of the power of his words”, adding: “I feel because of your previous relationship with Meghan Markle – “
But furious Piers cut him off as he tried to distinguish between the question about skin tone being asked as a “passing comment” or in a “derogatory way”.
Susanna desperately attempted to diffuse the two men, repeatedly asking for them to discuss this later.
Piers went on to point out that he had asked for Alex to be on the show today due to a “thoughtful text” he’d received from the star yesterday.
However, he took issue with Alex making things “personal” – which Alex strongly denied.
Susanna also tried to explain to Piers that while he is viewing things more “factually”, Alex – and Meghan – speak from “experience” that those who aren’t mixed race or black can not relate to.
Yesterday, 40-year-old Alex took to his Twitter page to publicly slam Piers for the way he spoke about Meghan and Harry on the show.
Piers accused Meghan of lying about suffering with her mental health and having suicidal thoughts, as he continued to lash out at her and Harry for “whining”.
He was widely criticised for the comments by viewers, who have since launched a petition to get him axed from the show.
Mental health charity Mind also released a statement slamming him for his dismissal of Meghan’s struggles.
Piers had fumed during the show that he is “sickened” by Meghan for slamming the Royal Family as “white supremacists”, calling the chat “a two-hour ‘trashathon’ of our Royal Family“.
Referencing her suicidal thoughts, he seethed: “I don’t believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I wouldn’t believe a weather report if she read it.
“The fact she has expressed an onslaught against our Royal Family is contemptible.”
