This Morning viewers react to tearful Holly Willoughby's statement with claim as she's embraced by Josie Gibson

This Morning viewers have been flocking to social media to respond after Holly Willoughby issued a statement upon her return to the troubled ITV programme.

The presenter made an emotional return to the popular daytime show, saying she felt "shaken, troubled, let down and worried" about the events that led to Phillip Schofield's shock departure from This Morning.

Holly, 42, appeared on screen for the first time in a fortnight following the shock departure of her former co-host and his subsequent revelation of an affair with a younger ITV male employee.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

Seated next to her new co-host Josie Gibson, Holly said: "Josie, thank you for being here. Right, deep breath." She then continued to issue her first major statement after two former short Instagram Story posts.

She said: "Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil. And I imagine that you might 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."

During interviews last week, Phillip told The Sun and the BBC that Holly did not know about the "unwise, but not illegal" affair, and has apologised for lying to her.

Dressed in a sleeveless white buttoned dress, mum-of-three Holly continued: "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 that 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 that it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now