Hammond was speaking on the ITV morning show when she said she had been "finding it really painful" after Schofield spoke publicly about the affair.

She added: "However, what he has done is wrong. He's admitted it, he's said sorry.

"As a family we're really struggling to process everything. I never know what to say, but I remember what my mum said.

"My mum always said, use your bible as your satnav in life. In the bible it says 'he without sin casts the first stone'.

"I don't want to say anything bad because obviously I'm in conflict."

She added later: "There's only so much a man can take, and I don't want any death in this situation."

Hammond was speaking after Schofield gave interviews to the BBC and The Sun about the affair and the subsequent fallout.

In the interviews published today, Schofield revealed:

• He has had suicidal thoughts since the scandal broke and likened his situation to what Caroline Flack faced before her death

• The first romantic encounter between the presenter and employee happened in Schofield's dressing room - and the man was 20 when they first had any sexual contact

• He first met the former colleague when he was 15 but insists he did not groom him

• The pair had five or six romantic encounters - Schofield denied the man was driven from ITV studios to his London home in taxis paid for by ITV

• He thinks ITV bosses should have completed a more thorough investigation in 2020

• Co-star Holly Willoughby did not know about the affair

Read more:
Timeline of Schofield's ITV departure after affair
Why Schofield's admission should kill off his career
Schofield's statement in full after stepping down

Hammond now presents This Morning alongside Dermot O'Leary after Schofield stepped down following the revelations about his affair.

The story has had a lot of press attention in recent days and ITV has launched an external review to establish the facts around the relationship between Schofield and his former colleague.

Regular This Morning host Gyles Brandreth said on the show today: "It's a human story but with public implications, and the point is the public implications, to do with broadcasting, workplace rules, regulations, good behaviour - that is going to be dealt with by the review and we'll learn the consequences of that.

"At the same time we are dealing with a human being that all of us here have known and liked over many years, so it makes it difficult for us."