Rumours have begun to swirl that Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield aren’t as close as they once were, with Holly reportedly making it clear she would stay on This Morning if Phil ever left.
Phillip Schofield today broke his silence on the rumours. He insisted they’re the “best of friends” and that Holly has “always” been there for him. Nevertheless, he admitted “the last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us”.
There have been rumours of things going south between the This Morning presenters for some time now…
Has the friendship between Holly and Phil “cooled” – and where did it all start to unravel?
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: BAFTA feud in 2019?
I’m A Celebrity fans will remember when Holly stepped in to host the ITV series in 2018 alongside Declan Donnelly. Ant McPartlin took a break from the show following his conviction for drink-driving.
But it was in early 2019 that the green-eyed monster allegedly emerged from Phil as Holly won the BAFTA for I’m A Celebrity. She collected the award on stage with Ant and Dec, and Phillip was reportedly “furious” and allegedly didn’t want her to mention the win on This Morning. A source at This Morning reportedly told The Sun: “It felt very petty and bitter for someone who is his close friend. But it felt like he was jealous.”
Phil ‘deeply unhappy’ with Holly’s magazine cover?
Still in 2019, tensions reportedly grew between Holly and Phil when it was reported he was “deeply unhappy” after a magazine cover painted Holly at the “Queen of TV”.
The Sunday Times magazine cover read: “How Holly Willoughby eclipsed Phillip Schofield and became Britain’s hottest TV star.” Reports claimed that “tensions rose” and it “kicked off” when Phillip saw the cover. The magazine was reportedly forced to apologise to the TV presenter, with a letter being written to his management.
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But Holly played down any rumours of a feud at the time, by posting a Father’s Day post for Phil. She wrote on her Instagram at the time: “Talking of important men in my life on Father’s Day. Here’s another one. My partner on the telly and one of my best friends in the world… love you @schofe.” Holly later shared the magazine to her Instagram but a source claimed she felt “mortified and terrible” over the cover which was allegedly supposed to give them “equal billing”.
Reports Holly Willoughby set Phillip Schofield ‘on a social media ban’
In late 2019, several stars of This Morning reportedly put in complaints about Phillip Schofield, with speculation that Ruth Langsford made an official complaint about the presenter. At the time, Holly also reportedly banned Phil from posting videos of her drinking on social media.
A report suggested that Holly went through her management as she was “too scared” to speak to him directly about it. But a spokesperson for ITV then spoke out against the reports.
They said: “It’s deeply disappointing and unfair for Phillip to be the target of this sort of malicious gossip. Phillip is a much-respected broadcaster and colleague and this is absolutely not a description of This Morning that we recognise. Phil and Holly are great friends both on and off-screen and are popular among viewers and colleagues alike.”
Holly Willoughby left ‘deeply upset’ as she was ‘kept in the dark’
Things seemed to be strong between the pair for the next few years. When Phil came out as gay in 2020, he said Holly was “incredible” in his autobiography Life’s What You Make It. The pair appeared to remain close when they were embroiled in drama over Queuegate, with Phil calling Holly his “best mate” ahead of Dancing on Ice last year.
But it’s been reported things have gone sour again as Holly was allegedly left “deeply upset” that she didn’t know that Phillip would be taking time off as his brother Timothy faced child sex offences in court. A source told The Mail that Holly “had to find out from someone else”. Holly hosted This Morning alongside guest presenters such as Alison Hammond, and welcomed Phil back when he returned from his break.
Reports alleged that Phillip said it was “categorically untrue” that Holly did not know about his leave of absence.
Their friendship has ‘cooled’?
Earlier this week, a report claimed Holly and Phil were “barely speaking” as their friendship “cooled“. The source also claimed that if Phil does leave This Morning, Holly would stay on without him, despite previously stating otherwise.
The source claimed that the pair are “acting the same” on camera, but “a lot of banter and camaraderie off camera has dwindled”. They also acknowledged that Phil and Holly have gone through “rough patches” before, but “this time it seems different”. They seemed to suggest it will be difficult for the pair to move past this rough patch.
Phillip Schofield admits ‘the last few weeks haven’t been easy’
Phillip Schofield then released a statement to The Sun where he insisted “Holly is my rock” while acknowledging that “the last few weeks haven’t been easy for the pair”. The full statement read: “As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We’re the best of friends — as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone. Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her.”
Phil continued: “The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us. My family went through a real ordeal. And Holly’s support throughout meant the world to me, as did the support of my bosses at ITV, my editor Martin Frizell and the whole This Morning family, including our amazing viewers.”
Holly Willoughby ‘betrayed’ by Phil Schofield statement
The latest report on their fall-out suggested that Holly Willoughby felt “betrayed” by Phil’s statement. A source told the Mail Online that: “The statement came out of nowhere for Holly and it was upsetting. What a betrayal. It feels like Phil is looking after himself here, with no regard for her.”
Eagle-eyed fans also speculated that Holly has ‘wiped Phil’ from her social media. Holly’s Twitter bio previously stated: “I was introduced to this by a Twitter legend,” before tagging her presenting partner. But her Twitter bio now reads: “Broadcaster, Founder of Wyldemoon, Brand ambassador for Marks & Spencer and Garnier, Author of Reflections.”
While it’s not known when this change was made, fans noticed the change and wondered if it confirmed that the pair’s friendship is on the rocks. One fan said: “Didn’t Holly’s Twitter bio say something about being introduced to Twitter by ‘a legend’ (ie Phil), now it’s not there.” A second speculated: “Loads of reports that they’ve both fallen out and don’t talk any more. Holly’s also removed the mention of Phil.”
It’s wroth pointing out that Philip no longer uses Twitter.
Entertainment Daily has contacted representatives for This Morning for comment.
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