Holly Willoughby's return to This Morning today was 'highly strategised'.
Sources have claimed Holly thought about everything from the colour of her dress, to what she was going to say, and had discussed it all with her team as well as those high up at This Morning.
She had been adamant to make sure things went smoothly, as she was supported by her friend and co-star Josie Gibson. They held hands as Holly issued a lengthy speech about her heartbreak over the revelations about Phillip Schofield.
A source shared to the Daily Mail: "Holly knew she needed to put the viewers at the forefront of all of this, the show is in dire straits and she sees it as her role to save it. So she personally wanted to get it absolutely right which meant there were many drafts to be gone through. Eventually they settled on giving Phil a fleeting mention.
"As well as getting the messaging right for the audience watching at home, how the statement was reported by all forms of the media was important too. The last thing they wanted was a Phil shunned type headline."
Insiders also revealed that Holly was very relieved for it all to be over - as even after her statement, she had two more hours of live television to get through. Sources claim everyone had hugged after the show and agreed to move on from it.
In her lengthy speech, Holly said she felt "shaken, troubled and let down" by the revelations that had come out about her co-star.
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"I imagine that you might have been 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," she said.
"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 they had to resign from ITV, and step down from a career that they loved. That's a lot to process."
She added: "And it's equally hard to see the toll that it's taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us 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."
Concluding her speech, she said: "And, from my 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, Craig and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you this show that we love."
