Horrified This Morning viewers switch off as squirrel is cooked and eaten on air

Watch: This Morning cooks up squirrels

This Morning viewers were so horrified they switched off as Phillip Schofield tucked into squirrel on the show.

The presenter tried the meat following a discussion about how The Exmoor Squirrel Project is encouraging people to eat the grey squirrels in a bid to save the native red squirrel.

Chef Phil Vickery served up a squirrel risotto and buttermilk squirrel, and Schofield and presenter Tom Swarbrick both gave it a go.

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However, Schofe's co-host Holly Willoughby refused to try the dishes, saying that even the thought of it left her feeling a bit "gippy".

Many viewers agreed with Willoughby, saying they couldn't even watch as Schofield sampled the meat.

One tweeted that it was an "absolutely disgusting segment".

"Squirrel risotto? Are we using roadkill now?" said somebody else.

One viewer thought it was "appalling", while another posted: "You’ve lost my viewing today as I turned the TV off. Will watch @bbc instead!"

Another person said it was "shameful".

Someone else remarked: "I've turned to another channel. I love the grey squirrels that visit our garden."

"I think it’s disgusting that This Morning is laughing and joking about eating grey squirrel live in TV, surely they are wildlife and should not be killed for meat?" stormed another viewer, who said it was "very cruel and inhumane".

However, others said eating a squirrel was just like eating other meats like chicken or beef.

"If you aren't vegetarian you can't really get squeamish over eating squirrel," tweeted one.

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Another pointed out: "To the western diet this is odd but then even rats have been consumed in crisis times!"

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