Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield 's 'Queuegate' scandal has reportedly made their This Morning set very tense in recent weeks.
The presenting duo both denied jumping the queue, and This Morning issued a statement confirming the pair had access for work purposes to film Queen Elizabeth II lying in state. Despite the statements, both Holly, 41, and Phil, 60, faced serious backlash from the public and a petition to have them axed from their ITV show amounted over 75,000 signatures.
Now a source told OK! that the relationship between Holly and Phil has noticeably become "extremely awkward" over the past few weeks. "The atmosphere in the This Morning studio is awful. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife," the source says.
"‘Queue-gate’ has made the relationship between Holly and Phil extremely awkward. He’s become a lot more snappy - on and off set - and Holly is at the end of her tether with his constant interruptions and abruptions."
The source continued: "The fact that the audience are now noticing it too indicates that big cracks are starting to show. Holly has supported Phil greatly over the years - especially with him coming out - but the past few weeks have just been too hard for their friendship to come back from."
It comes after a source told us that Holly was "left shaken" and "completely thrown" by the reaction amid the "queue jumping row".
They added: "They had no idea there would be any sort of backlash. Holly is used to being the darling of TV, she’s never faced any controversies so this has really shaken her.
"She feels completely mortified as she had no idea they would face any criticism, which is why they were so keen to address it on the show."
The source explained further: "I don’t think reports she’s planning to quit are true but it probably is making her reassess her future, and how quickly public opinion can change."
After the backlash, Phillip's £1million We Buy Any Car advertising deal came to an end after five years. Fans were quick to notice that the Dancing On Ice host's image had been removed from the brand’s social media pages, after being the voice and face of the company's advert for the last few years.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our weekly Showbiz newsletter here .
READ NEXT:
- ITV This Morning's Alison Hammond reveals Scottish routes in DNA journey
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'trialling social media return' after dropping PR firm
- ITV Dancing on Ice 2023: Ru Paul star The Vivienne announced as latest contestant
- Amanda Holden pops Champagne at Ben Nevis summit after completing Three Peak Challenge
