Holly Willoughby is determined to stay hosting This Morning after her co-presenter Phillip Schofield torpedoed his own career by admitting to an affair with a younger colleague.
The 42-year-old mum of three, who is on a planned break from the show until June 5, wants to continue in her ITV Daytime role and has no plans to leave, an insider has claimed.
But Schofield's now-empty hosting role is proving harder to fill than ITV bosses might have thought, as other stars have been approached but are having second thoughts about taking the job, says the source.
"Holly wants to stay at This Morning as long as she can, and hopes to ride out the scandal," they told the Mirror. "Other stars like Stephen Mulhern are being approached to fill in for Phil when she returns. Some are reluctant to go in and face angry viewers.
“Holly is determined to stay put - the only reason she would leave now is if This Morning is axed. She has absolutely no plans to leave."
Holly, who sat next to Phillip on the This Morning sofa since 2009, said in a statement over the weekend that she had found his lies "very hurtful" after privately asking him about rumours of his secret relationship when gossip first started swirling.
"It has taken time to process yesterday's news," she wrote in an Instagram statement on Saturday (May 27).
"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."
Phil, 61, hit back with a statement of his own posted to his Instagram Story on Monday morning (May 29), shortly before This Morning went on air.
"Now I no longer work on @thismorning I am free to say this," he wrote.
"I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.
"This Morning IS the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there there was no toxicity. You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like.
"But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know, it IS a family of wonderful, talented, kind and hardworking people."
It came after famous names connected to This Morning, including Eamonn Holmes and Dr Ranj Singh, publicly blasted the toxic culture backstage at the show.
In a Twitter statement, Ranj - who had appeared alongside Holly and Phil between 2016 and 2019 as a resident doctor on This Morning - said he had put in a complaint about a bully and believed he was 'managed out' for whistleblowing.
He ended it by writing: "I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV. The culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values , and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out.
"But as history and experience have taught us, things like bullying and discrimination are very hard to prove, particularly in hindsight and when the 'people in power' control the narrative. As we've seen, no review or investigation is foolproof.
"Still, I was assured that certain things were going to be addressed and changes made. I haven't worked on the show since... and I'm not the only one who has spoken up or experienced similar.
"That was two years ago, and frankly, it still hurts. The whole process was pretty heartbreaking and even affected my mental health. But I'm happy to say that I've found my feet again, know my worth and have found my tribe."
Meanwhile, Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond faced the music on Monday morning when they returned to present the Bank Holiday show for the first time since Phillip's affair bombshell.
The pair referenced the scandal in a roundabout way by praising the behind-the-scenes staff who make the show.
Dermot told viewers at the top of the programme: "We know we have been in the news at the moment and we do appreciate that. But just from both of us, and the whole team here, the crew, the guys downstairs, we love making this show for all of you."
And Alison added: "We really do and that's exactly what we're gonna do - we going to continue to do that."
Guest contributor Gyles Brandreth echoed their comments, telling the hosts: "We are very happy to be here, can I say that as well? Actually this is a happy place to work. I enjoy coming in here and I have done since I began coming in. We're happy people in a happy place."
In a major shake-up to the programme, both Phillip and Holly were scrubbed from the This Morning opening credits.
Usually the show opens with footage of them making their way to the ITV studio, interacting with passers-by and smiling at each other.
But there were no clips of either of them today, nor of Alison or Dermot.
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