Sam Thompson’s “Shaking and White as a Sheet” Moment After Brutally Honest ITV Meeting
Sam Thompson, the energetic former star of Made In Chelsea and current showbiz correspondent for ITV’s This Morning, recently found himself in a rather unnerving professional encounter. The 33-year-old, who also co-hosts the popular podcast Staying Relevant with his mate Pete Wicks, revealed on their latest episode that a meeting with a This Morning boss left him “shaking and white as a sheet.”
The television personality, known for his usually upbeat demeanour, admitted that he was called into his boss’s office for a feedback session. While Sam is accustomed to receiving constructive criticism and actively seeks it out, he confessed that this particular meeting was far more intense than he anticipated.
“I do This Morning every week, every Thursday I do the showbiz news,” Sam explained on the podcast. “And I got asked by the boss, who’s a lovely guy, to come into his office and take a seat.”
He continued, “He was like, ‘I think you’re doing great, I’d just, like, want to go through where I think we’re doing well, where I think we can improve.’ I love to hear it, I want to know where I can improve.”
Pete Wicks, ever the insightful co-host, interjected with his own take on Sam’s mindset heading into the meeting. “I know you would have gone in there going, ‘I am doing great, this is going to be a fluffing session’,” Pete quipped. “He’s sat down and gone, ‘I can’t wait for this because I love to be told I’m doing great. Go on, hit me.'”
Sam readily agreed with Pete’s assessment of his initial expectations. “Pete, I did exactly that! I went in [thinking] so it’s going to be a little bit of negative, but probably mostly positive,” he confessed.
However, the reality of the feedback session proved to be a stark contrast to Sam’s optimistic outlook. “He sits down and goes, ‘Sam, I think you’re doing a phenomenal job, these are the things I think you could be better at’,” Sam recounted. “Spent the entirety of the thing being like, ‘So this bit, I don’t know what you’re doing.’ That’s quite savage reviews!”
The former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner detailed the duration and impact of the meeting. “It went on for about half an hour, by the end of it I’m white as a sheet, I’m, like, shaking,” he admitted. To cap off the intense session, his boss reportedly concluded with, “Anyway mate, smashing it’ and then walks out.”
Despite the unnerving experience, Sam was quick to clarify that he didn’t take the criticism personally and, in fact, found it beneficial. He explained that he actively took on board the feedback and made efforts to implement the suggestions.
“Actually, these kinds of reviews actually do help, because I then did take on board what he said and I did actually do a little bit better,” Sam stated. He revealed one specific area for improvement: “He said that the art of the segue could do with a little bit of panache.”
This candid revelation comes after another somewhat embarrassing moment Sam experienced on This Morning just last month. He was left red-faced when co-host Ben Shephard made a playful, yet pointed, remark about his appearance.
As Sam was preparing to discuss the latest showbiz headlines, Ben couldn’t resist commenting on his rather vibrant tan. “I think you’re going more and more orange,” Ben observed as Sam first appeared on screen. Sam, feigning distress, responded, “Don’t! You’ve got to stop this!”
Lifting his hands to demonstrate the extent of his fake tan, Sam attempted to play it off with a smile, saying, “It’s on the palms.” Cat Deeley, who was also present, chimed in, “You’re going to give him a complex!” Ben, however, added with a grin, “He looks very healthy,” leaving a visibly embarrassed Sam behind him.
This Morning continues to be a platform where Sam showcases his personality and talent, navigating both the glamorous world of showbiz and the occasional, albeit constructive, critiques from his superiors. The show airs weekdays from 10 am on ITV1 and is available for streaming on ITVX.
