Piers Morgan has admitted that he found Susanna Reid's on-air tribute to him on Good Morning Britain "rather frosty".
Amid over a furore surrounding his reaction to Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, Morgan stepped down from the breakfast show earlier this month after refusing to apologise for saying that he disbelieved the Duchess of Sussex's account of events.
The morning after Morgan's departure, Reid turned to camera and read a pre-prepared statement that described her long-term co-host's divisive style but was devoid of any personal tribute.
Writing about his GMB departure for the Daily Mail, Morgan said: "At 6.30am, I turned on GMB to see what my 'TV wife' Susanna would say about our sudden divorce.
"Stony-faced, she read a short, rather frosty statement... Jeez, even my real ex-wife talks more fondly about me than that (and, in fact, did so overnight in a very supportive message). I got an instant flurry of new texts from bemused friends asking if we'd fallen out.
"We haven't. But I suspect Susanna's feeling angry and sad at me leaving just when the show's soared to new audience heights, concerned for her own future, fearful of troll abuse for publicly backing me (she's had a repulsive barrel-load of that over the years just for sitting next to me), and general discombobulation at the dramatic turn of events.
"I hope we stay friends because Susanna's a decent person and we've been through a lot together."
Following Morgan's exit, Reid has co-hosted the show with a variety of stand-in presenters, including Ben Shephard, Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh, while a permanent replacement is sought.
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