Holly Willoughby's tearful response to the Phillip Schofield affair scandal was met with scepticism from This Morning viewers.
Opening the show with Josie Gibson, Holly told viewers she had felt "shaken, troubled [and] let down" over Phillip's admission that he'd had an affair with a younger colleague who worked on the daytime show.
She admitted it was "hard to see the toll that it's on [Phillip's] mental health" before speaking of a "new chapter" for This Morning.
Shortly after Holly's monologue viewer were quick to turn to social media with their immediate reaction.
Others said Holly looked like she desperately need a hug while others accused her of being 'insincere' and even throwing former best friend Phil under the bus.
one viewer tweeted: "That speech was… underwhelming. Holly kind of confirmed there is no love lost between her and Phil, she seems still mad at him. But from HER side, she did not say how much she knew. She could have denied having any knowledge. Her statement was very economical. #ThisMorning."
"Not Holly throwing Phil under the bus hahahaha #ThisMorning," while another wrote: "That was one of the most insincere things i have ever witnessed in my life #ThisMorning."
Someone else shared: "@ ITV @thismorning @hollywills showing they are STILL incredibly out of touch. This speech was self-serving & doesn’t address the big question."
However, others disagreed as one commented: "Dunno why Holly is getting blamed for criticising Phil but also equally getting blamed for apparently doing nothing about it (dunno why she’s supposed to know what Phil gets up to in his own time but whatever), damned if you do, damned if you don’t #ThisMorning."
"I don’t understand the hate parade after Holly too? To me, she was let down my a friend who lied to her. Think about how many times you’ve know the absolute ins and outs of your friends lives? She was clearly nervous too, leave her be. #ThisMorning," another said.
Returning to This Morning after an extended half-term break, Holly said: "Deep breath - firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange sitting here without Phil and I imagine you might be feeling a lot like I have - shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what's been going on, and full of questions.
"You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.
"And it's equally hard to see the toll that it's taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
"And from my own heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison and Craig and every single person on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love."
