Phillip Schofield clashes with Nicola Thorp over 'abusive men' in tense This Morning debate after Sarah Everard's death

PHILLIP Schofield clashed with ex Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp in a tense debate on This Morning today.

The 32-year-old star was on the programme alongside Julia Hartley-Brewer to discuss recent news, specifically Sarah Everard's tragic death.

The conversation turned to what men could do to help women feel safer, with Nicola arguing that "all men" have, at some point, passed up the opportunity to call out male peers when they say something problematic about women.

She explained that she'd had men who are friends reach out over the weekend asking how they could help tackle the systemic misogyny – and apologising for not doing more sooner.

Nicola went on: "Not all men are abusers, but all men, I think at some point in their lives, have passed up an opportunity to call out abuse and I'm not just talking about…"

Phil, 58, took offence to the remark, interrupting as he hit back: "I haven't."

The guest questioned: "You don't think so?" to which the host went on: "No, not to my knowledge."

Gesturing to his ear piece, he added that members of the This Morning crew were saying the same, arguing: "I suspect there are a great many men who… And I'm hearing in the gallery now a number of men saying: 'No, that hasn't happened to me'."

Nicola was visibly unimpressed as she retorted: "Oh well there we go, you're one of the 'not all men' then."

She went on to try and explain her point more clearly, insisting that she wasn't accusing all men of being overtly abusive towards women – but that most, as well as women, were guilty of not confronting men when they made problematic jokes or comments.

Nicola explained that even she had passed up the opportunity in the past, telling Phil: "I find that really difficult to believe because I as a woman have even been in a situation where I have seen somebody being harassed, or lads talking about a woman in a certain way, and I've felt like I haven't been able to step in.

"It doesn't mean you're at fault, but it means that you have missed out on an opportunity to be part of the solution."

Sarah Everard's death has sparked shockwaves across the nation this month, with calls for changes to be made to make women safer on the streets after she was abducted and killed as she made her way home from a friend's house.

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