Holly and Phillip co-host the popular daytime show ‘This Morning’ as co-hosts. Longtime friends, these co-hosts bring laughter and tears alike to audiences every morning.
Last week, it came to light that Phil had an affair with a young runner and was keeping it from Holly. Since then, he has decided to resign immediately from the show.
The duo’s relationship
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have become embroiled in an ugly dispute since it became public that they no longer speak. After Phil Schofield’s affair with a male PA more than 30 years his junior became public knowledge, his former co-host Holly Willoughby quit This Morning over his failure to inform family, agents or colleagues of this relationship. Phil later admitted lying about it all to family, colleagues and agents alike about it all.
Schofield indicated in an interview with the BBC that his career in television had come to an end and that he had considered suicide, believing he had lost everything and with his daughters fearful of leaving him at home alone. Additionally, he apologized to anyone affected by the scandal.
After the interview aired, the Prince’s Trust distanced itself from Schofield. The charity, which works with celebrities such as Fearne Cotton and Idris Elba, removed references to him from its website. Schofield later resigned from ITV following revelations regarding an extramarital relationship he was engaged in.
Holly Willoughby has taken over co-hosting This Morning alongside Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary since May 20, following Schofield’s resignation. Holly has been working as a presenter since 2002; previously working alongside Fern Britton on Dancing On Ice; also joining forces on ITV game show revival Mr and Mrs; as well as starring in comedy series The Cube.
The affair
Once the news of Schofield’s affair with an individual over 20 years his junior broke, the show’s reputation was shaken to its core. Although they had worked together as co-hosts for 13 years prior to this development, tensions seemed to have been mounting between them for some time prior to this news surfacing.
Resurfaced footage from 2019 shows Loose Women host Ruth Langford slamming down her pen in frustration as Schofield interrupted during live link between both shows, initially showing support for Schofield but quickly backing off as soon as the scandal unfolded.
Holly returned to This Morning on Monday with Josie Gibson as co-host and directly addressed the situation, asking viewers: ‘Firstly, are all of you OK?’.
“It feels very strange here without Phillip. He was an integral part of this show and I want to thank him for everything he’s done.”
The 42-year-old went on to explain that her decision to leave was personal and was driven by both health concerns as well as her desire for more time with family.
But not only was the public critical of them; the pair also came under scrutiny for not queuing along with everyone at the late Queen’s lying in state service – leading them to be labeled “queue jumpers”.
The break-up
Holly Willoughby made it abundantly clear that she has moved on from Phillip Schofield since his departure from This Morning sofa, telling several individuals that she was furious with ITV executives for failing to address rumor of a romance between the pair.
ITV has denied that it knew about Phillip and Sophie’s relationship when rumours started swirling, according to ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall who says both she, the program management, and Phillip’s then agency, YMU all categorically denied these allegations.
As a result of the scandal, Schofield was removed as an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and fired by ITV after admitting having an affair with one of her male colleagues and lying about it to avoid public scrutiny. Schofield, then aged 61, was later accused of lying about this relationship in order to deflect media scrutiny and avoid media scrutiny over it.
Schofield was confronted by Holly during his final This Morning appearance and addressed viewers at home about the scandal. Holly asked Schofield whether he was alright before asking viewers at home what had caused his departure: ‘Firstly, is everything alright with you? I hope so; it feels very strange indeed being here without you.’ She later posted an upbeat selfie featuring herself with temporary co-host Dermot O’Leary tagged with orange heart emojis; Phillip also appears to have been deleted from Holly’s Twitter bio.
The reunion
On June 5, Holly returned to This Morning after an extended absence, making a moving monologue about how Phillip’s affair revelation had left her “shaken, troubled, let down”.
“Today has been very different without my co-worker Phil; one of our most talented and experienced broadcasters. To lose him is a major setback; thank you all for your kind messages of support; it has been difficult for me to process this news, so this blog post is my way of sharing my feelings.”
Holly also shared in her statement that following news of Schofield’s affair, she took time off work. Additionally, Holly visited both her GP and psychiatrist in addition to seeing a therapist.
Still, she noted her strong relationship with Dan Baldwin and two daughters Molly May and Ruby as well as being extremely content in life. MailOnline reports that Molly discovered the affair just minutes before it became public knowledge through her shift at YMU which manages many ITV personalities including Holly Willoughby.
Holly also acknowledged receiving incredible support from both her fellow cast and crew of This Morning as well as from family and friends. According to reports, staff had removed pictures of Phil from ITV studio corridors in a symbolic move signifying a new era for This Morning.