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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Tom Bryant

Holly Willoughby's This Morning future revealed by pal as she enjoys fun in the sun

Holly Willoughby is looking forward to "getting back to business" on the This Morning sofa next week as she soaks up the sun on holiday.

A source said that she was enjoying some family time in Portugal after a "crazy few weeks" but was looking forward to going back to work.

The insider said: "She is looking forward to getting back to business on the sofa next week but in the meantime is determined to enjoy some downtime with her family after a crazy few weeks.”

Pals also said she is “super relaxed” about the prospect of giving evidence to the barrister-led review.

A source added: “Holly will of course 100 percent cooperate with the inquiry should she be asked, as she has nothing to hide whatsoever.

“She has made crystal clear that Phil lied to her about his relationship with the runner, and is super relaxed about giving her version of events."

The star, 42, jetted out to Portugal to escape the scandal surrounding her former co-star Phillip Schofield’s affair with a runner ahead of her return to work on This Morning on Monday.

It was there that she learned ITV had ordered an external inquiry to be carried out by top barrister Jane Mulcahy KC.

Holly was spotted on the beach (Daily Mirror)
Holly is set to return to This Morning on Monday (Daily Mirror)

Schofield’s lawyer told the Mirror he would “expect Phillip fully to co-operate with any formal enquiry” but that he had not been approached yet.

It’s understood Holly has also yet to be formally contacted.

Schofield, 61, resigned from the broadcaster last week after admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague.

The pictures mark the first time Holly has been seen since her statement revealing Schofield deceived her about the affair.

Holly said last week: "It's taken time to process yesterday's news.

"When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not.

"It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."

Pictured alongside her sister and three children, Holly was all smiles as she wore a black swimsuit and denim hotpants as she carried a bodyboard to the beach. She was later seen with pints of lager as she relaxed with her parents, sister Kelly, and three children.

The previous evening Holly - who has an £8million holiday home in the area - was seen enjoying dinner at a nearby restaurant.

The pictures of Holly emerged during another dramatic day for ITV.

Holly was spotted with her family in Portugal (Daily Mirror)

It was confirmed that channel boss Dame Carolyn McCall would be called to give evidence in front of MPs, as the Mirror revealed on Tuesday.

The chief executive, who wrote a letter to Parliament on Wednesday in which she revealed the scale of Schofield’s deception in covering up his affair, will face questions from MPs on the This Morning row at a session of the Culture, Media and Sport committee on June 14.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, who was one of the addressees of Wednesday's letter, said in a written response yesterday: "The Committee regards the media industry's duty of care towards its staff a matter of the highest importance.

"Whilst the recent coverage focuses on the Schofield case, it also raises fundamental issues about safeguarding and complaint handling both at ITV and more widely across the media.

"These issues should, particularly in the case of public service broadcasters, be open to scrutiny. The public must have confidence in the robustness of public service broadcasters' safeguarding procedures.

"Whilst these are issues that we want to discuss first with ITV, we will also consider them in our regular scrutiny sessions with other public service broadcasters, including the BBC later this month and Channel 4 later in the year."

Insiders told the Mirror that the review could take “months” to complete but that no precise timetable had yet been drawn up.

It’s understood that one of the areas Mulcahy could investigate is as to whether HR were involved, or indeed alerted at all, in the investigations undertaken by ITV.

A source said: “It’s an area that will be looked at. No stone will be left unturned.”

McCall had previously said how as well as first investigating the rumoured affair in late 2019 and early 2020, they continued to “ask questions of both parties, who both continued to deny the rumours, including as recently as this month.”

The Mirror told yesterday how staff on This Morning were reassured the show was safe in a team-meeting amid speculation it could be axed.

A source said: “It was made abundantly clear: the show - and their jobs - weren’t going anywhere.”

Some workers on the ITV show also used the weekly meeting to vent their upset at Dr Ranj’s “false claims” of a toxic workplace culture on the morning programme.

A source said: “His comments have caused real anguish among a lot of people on the show. It’s a picture they don’t recognise, and they feel Dr Ranj’s sweeping statement casts them as all somehow complicit. It’s really unfair, and has affected a lot of people’s mental health.”

Jane McDonald was yesterday also confirmed as Schofield’s replacement as the host of the British Soap Awards this weekend.

Schofield had previously confirmed he would host the awards when he explosively left This Morning on May 20.

However, he stepped down from the ceremony, his last public commitment, when he quit ITV.

McDonald, 60, is best known for her TV series Cruising With Jane McDonald, as well as her long stint on Loose Women.

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