Jim Wells ‘ecstatic’ to see the back of Piers Morgan after GMB departure

Piers Morgan clashed with Jim Wells.

Gareth Cross Twitter Email

March 10 2021 02:50 PM

“Good riddance” was the unequivocal verdict from Jim Wells after Piers Morgan quit his role as Good Morning Britain host.

The South Down MLA clashed with Mr Morgan during an appearance on the breakfast programme in September 2019.

Mr Wells, who has had the DUP whip removed, was invited on to discuss his criticism of same-sex dance partners on Strictly Come Dancing.

Morgan called the long-serving politician “an old bigoted dinosaur” during fiery exchanges.

So annoyed was Mr Wells by his treatment that he reported the show to Ofcom, which found no wrongdoing on the part of Mr Morgan or co-host Susanna Reid.

The former DUP MLA told the Belfast Telegraph he was glad to see the back of Mr Morgan.

“I’m not pleased, I’m delighted — ecstatic. I have been dealing with the media for 45 years and have never had as bad an experience as I had with him,” he said.

“I found him rude. He would not let you get a word in edgeways and he was insulting.

“What I was particularly annoyed about was that even after the interview, when they moved to other topics, he and Susanna Reid continued to lambast me, even though I was off air.

“I think it (Morgan’s departure) is going to spare other people from having similar treatment to what I received.

“I’m used to it, but people who aren’t would have been absolutely crestfallen.”

Watch: The reason DUP Jim Wells is delighted with Piers Morgan GMB departure

While Mr Wells accepted that his views about same-sex couples dancing together might not be held by the majority, he found Mr Morgan’s conduct during their interview “absolutely obnoxious in a way that I’ve never experienced from a journalist before”.

“I’ve dealt with journalists all over the UK. I’ve done American television and Bolivian television. You can be difficult, insightful and can ask pointed questions, embarrass and cajole, but... it (the Morgan interview) was horrendous,” he said.

The MLA added he would never appear on a programme linked to the presenter again.

“Ofcom ruled that his (Morgan’s) behaviour was entirely normal. I was absolutely aghast that happened,” he explained.

“There were a lot of complaints about how I was treated, though nothing on the scale of what happened about his comments on Meghan Markle.

“I didn’t agree much with what Meghan Markle said (in the Oprah Winfrey interview), but to say that she’s making up the fact she thought of suicide, you need to have very hard evidence before you make a statement like that. Nobody knows the position she found herself in.

“He (Morgan) actually walked out live on air after a colleague very mildly said he disagreed with him. It was disgraceful and he had no option but to go.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that he will be back. I think you can say very safely he will return in some guise.”

Mr Wells noted Rupert Murdoch’s planned News UK TV channel and Andrew Neil’s GB News as two potential destinations for Mr Morgan but said he hoped he would not be returning to any mainstream position.

Mr Morgan stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain following a confrontation with weather presenter Alex Beresford over Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.