This Morning axes its shrink over her ‘Covid denying’ Twitter rants
ITV’S This Morning has stopped using its regular on-screen psychologist after she posted a string of tweets vowing to ignore Covid-19 restrictions.
Emma Kenny has appeared up to three times a week over the past year, but provoked controversy with her public outbursts when the Government’s tier system was brought in last year to limit the pandemic’s spread.
TV chiefs are thought to have had concerns that their expert guest’s anti-lockdown and antivaccine social-media posts may have attracted the attention of broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.
This Morning bosses have faced criticism for presenting Ms Kenny as a resident expert trusted by millions of viewers for her insight on emotional problems while failing to act over her offscreen comments.
One source said: ‘ Those at the top put up with it for a few months but it got to the point where the backlash was too much.’
Ms Kenny has not appeared on her regular slot, in which she answers viewers’ calls about their problems, since November 28. Radio host Vanessa Feltz has instead taken part in an ‘agony aunt’ segment.
The Manchester-based broadcaster, who describes herself as‘ one of the UK’s leading TV psychological experts’ on her website, prompted a furious backlash when she insisted on Twitter that she would not be abiding by the Government’s tier system of restrictions when it was introduced last year.
She wrote: ‘Just want to check in with you @BorisJohnson and @Matt Hancock just to politely inform you that I’m declining your tiers because you have no evidence to base them on! The law of the land must be based on the interests of the population. I’m taking back my kids’ future.’
In another tweet, Ms Kenny insisted she would defy the rules by continuing to socialise, saying: ‘I’m going to have parties, see my friends, invite EVERYONE around! I’m going to visit elderly neighbours and take cake, I’m not wearing a mask and I’m going to do what as a human I was born to do… socialise.’
She also suggested that ‘vaccines will damage more children than they will help’ and alleged that ‘mandated vaccines mean child abuse’.
Her outburst followed a report that Australian airline Qantas airline would require passengers to be vaccinated before being allowed to fly.
As recently as last Friday, Ms Kenny was continuing to voice her scepticism over the Government’s handling of the Covid crisis, saying: ‘I don’t want anyone to die, but the studies that are out state that lockdowns are doing more harm than good.
‘ If you want to protect the NHS you will go down the path that does the most good. This would involve listening to the research. Why are we not listening?’
Last night, a spokesman for This Morning played down Ms Kenny’s absence from the popular daytime show, saying: ‘ We aren’t using as many experts at the moment.’
Ms Kenny did not respond to requests for comment.
Dr Sara Kayat, a London-based GP who has appeared on This Morning, has already caused controversy for making inaccurate statements on the show.
More than 150 complaints were made to Ofcom after she told viewers on January 4 that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was ‘100 per cent effective against hospitalisation and death’ after the first dose.
Experts believe a single dose of the Oxford vaccine is actually about 70 per cent effective against Covid-19 across all ages.
‘I’m going to do what I was born to do... socialise’