Piers Morgan's outburst about Meghan on Good Morning Britain is Ofcom's most complained about TV moment

Piers Morgan's on-air comments about the Duchess of Sussex on ITV's Good Morning Britain has become Ofcom's most complained about moment in TV history.

The broadcasting watchdog has released figures that show more than 57,000 people, including the Duchess of Sussex herself, lodged a complaint following Morgan's comments about Meghan and her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The number of complaints now stands at 57,121, which surpasses the previously most-protested moment in TV history when 44,500 complaints were made regarding Jade Goodey and Danielle Lloyd's treatment of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother in 2007.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We can confirm that this issue has attracted the highest number of complaints since our reporting began."

The spokesperson added that the investigation into the issue is ongoing.

In response to Meghan's headline-making interview, Morgan said on-air: "I’m sorry, I don't believe a word she said, Meghan Markle. I wouldn't believe it if she read me the weather report.

"The fact that she's fired up this onslaught against our Royal family I think is contemptible."

The TV presenter stood down after six years on Good Morning Britain following his remarks that he did not believe what the duchess had told Oprah, which included comments Meghan made about her mental health and having suicidal thoughts.

Morgan, well-known for being outspoken, had stormed off set following an on-air row about his coverage of the interview with GMB weatherman Alex Beresford, who criticised Morgan for "continuing to trash" the duchess.

Following Morgan's departure from the show, the broadcaster said in a statement: "Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."

Amid the controversy, ITV's chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall publicly rejected Morgan's on-air claims and said she "completely believed what [the duchess] says", adding that ITV is "totally committed to" mental health.

Mental health charity Mind, which is a partner with ITV on its Britain Get Talking campaign, also criticised Morgan, saying it was "disappointed" by the presenter's comments.

Since leaving, Morgan has stood by the comments he made and has resisted growing public sentiment for him to return to the show, after petitions calling for him to be reinstated reached a combined total of almost 200,000 signatures.

In response to the petitions, Morgan posted on Twitter:

In the first GMB show following his departure, Morgan's co-host Susanna Reid addressed his departure and described him as "without doubt an outspoken, challenging, opinionated, disruptive broadcaster" with "many critics" and "many fans".

Aside from being on the receiving end of the most complaints to Ofcom in TV history, Morgan celebrated a victory over BBC Breakfast during his final day on GMB.

"I had one goal when I joined GMB - beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings," he wrote.

"On my last day, we did it. That was down to the hard work and dedication of the whole team.

"They don't all agree with me, some don't even like me, but we were a team ... and we won. Thanks guys. I'll miss you."