Phillip Schofield may “blame” Holly Willoughby for his exit from This Morning, one expert has claimed.
Tina Wilson, relationship expert and founder of Wingman, exclusively analysed the recent “fallout” between Phil and Holly for Entertainment Daily – and revealed if she thinks they’ll ever work together again.
Tina explained that it appears Phillip decided to leave This Morning after issues reached a “boiling point”. And, amid reports that Holly gave ITV bosses an “ultimatum”, Tina speculated that Phil may “blame” Holly for his exit.
Phillip Schofield may ‘blame’ Holly Willoughby for This Morning exit
Reports that Phillip and Holly had fallen out began earlier this month, with Phil eventually releasing a statement that Holly was his “rock” but they had gone through “a difficult few weeks”. While Phil initially returned to This Morning following the statement, Tina said his final week on This Morning may have led to things reaching a “boiling point”.
She explained: “I feel that Holly tried to take the moral high ground by agreeing to be on screen during the last week together but the tension and conflict became too much. Everyone having their opinion. There was simply too much focus on their body language with viewers trying to spot the tension between the star pair rather than on the show itself. It could simply not go any further and things had reached boiling point.”
He may put a lot of the blame on Holly, even if Holly didn’t have a hand in this departure.
Tina acknowledged that we don’t know the “full story”, speaking to ED! before Phillip Schofield revealed an affair with a younger colleague on This Morning – which he insists is not the reason he left the show. ITV denied that Phil was “sacked” and said that he “agreed to leave”. But nevertheless, Tina added: “Reports suggest he was ‘sacked’ straight after the show and not given the opportunity to say his on-air farewells. He may put a lot of the blame on Holly, even if Holly didn’t have a hand in this departure.”
‘It will take a lot to fix their relationship’
Tina also believes that it will not be easy for Holly and Phil to repair their friendship. She added: “It will take them a lot to fix their relationship. Without being around each other for work purposes it might be harder for them to talk through their feelings and clear the air, as it will be easy to avoid confronting their feelings.” Tina also added that it’s difficult to imagine Holly and Phil working together again: “Their relationship at this point appears to have run its course.”
Tina also explained the importance of “boundary setting” and “forgiveness” if they are ever going to be able to heal the reported rift. Until then, Tina thinks Holly and Phil’s once “unbreakable” friendship has run its course. She speculated: “If they haven’t let go of the past it will be difficult for them to recover any form of friendship. If the truth ever comes out about the alleged fall-out and the reasons behind it, more will be revealed. It’s a sad day that a seemingly unbreakable friendship has come to an end.”
Holly’s ‘girl power’ signals
The expert also pointed to Holly’s statement about Phil’s exit, and highlighted her use of the “strategically placed pink heart emoji”. She suggested that the statement was “all about girl power” – and harked back to reported friction between Phil and three other female This Morning hosts, appearing to suggest Holly’s backing of the trio.
She alleged: “Fern Britton, Ruth Langsford and Amanda Holden have all found themselves being overruled by Phil going above their heads. They have all complained respectfully but Phil has always appeared to have had the right person’s ear, until now.”
Tina went on to speculate: “Perhaps she wanted to keep the message short and sweet and conscious of word count on her Instagram Story. But the message seems to suggest she has moved on.”
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