Phillip Schofield announced he is stepping down from hosting ITV's This Morning this weekend. It comes after recent reports that a rift has formed between him and his long-time co-host Holly Willoughby.
The TV duo had presented the show together since 2009 and also co-host ITV’s Dancing On Ice. Following Schofield’s departure, ITV has said Willoughby will remain on the show and will “co-present with members of the This Morning family”.
The pair have been open about their close friendship over the years, which has included sharing pictures on social media of them while on joint holidays with their families. But recently, the pair have seemingly drifted apart.
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Phil's statement on his decision to leave the show made no mention of his co-host, while Holly posted a brief statement on social media telling her followers that "the sofa won’t feel the same" without Phil and thanking him for his "knowledge, experience and humour".
In recent months, Phil has been at the centre of numerous headlines - including over his brother’s sex abuse trial and furore over Holly's and his visit to the late Queen’s lying in state, at which they were accused of jumping the queue.
Reports began last week that the pair were barely speaking off-camera. Following press coverage that their relationship had come under strain, Phil hailed Holly as his “rock” in a statement to The Sun.
He said: “As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We’re the best of friends – as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone. Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her. The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.”
Despite the speculation, the duo put on a united front during the show this week and made no reference to stories in the press about their relationship. The co-hosts laughed and joked together as they presented segments involving Disney composer Alan Menken playing a medley on a piano and the pair taking part in a core exercise routine with a celebrity fitness instructor.
Reports of the rumoured rift came after Phil took pre-planned leave from the show around his brother’s sex abuse trial at Exeter Crown Court last month. The Sun previously reported that the absence had contributed to a “cooling” of the friendship between Holly and Phil.
Former civilian police worker Timothy Schofield, 54, was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child. He was jailed for 12 years last week.
In a statement released by his lawyer after the guilty verdict, Phil said: “My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.
“If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family. These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.”
Phil returned to the show after his leave but he did not present alongside Holly, as she was off sick. During his first show back, he thanked viewers for their “kind messages and support”.
He said: “Holly isn’t well today so is sadly off today and perhaps a few more days with a bout of shingles. Ouch. So if you are watching at home, Holly, then get well soon. The whole team sends their love. And thank you, Rochelle, for coming to play.
“I wanted to say that it is really lovely to be back. I have missed the show, everyone here, and also to you (the viewers). And I wanted to say thank you for all your kind messages and support, which were really appreciated, so thank you very much indeed. On with the show.”
Last September, Phil and Holly both faced backlash over claims they skipped the queue for the Queen’s lying in state. Following an online outcry, the chief executive of ITV, Dame Carolyn McCall, said the pair had been “misrepresented” over the issue and stressed they had been attending as members of the media to film a segment for This Morning.
In December 2021, Holly responded to rumours that she was leaving the ITV show, criticising the reports about her quitting This Morning as “so unfair and untrue”. Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Holly admitted it was sometimes “difficult” to deal with the scrutiny surrounding her job.
The TV star sparked questions about her future when she launched her Wylde Moon lifestyle brand in September that year and published a book, Reflections, exploring issues including body image, burnout and control.
Speaking about her relationship with Phil, she said: “I do really love him. I really love him. We’re lucky. We really are. I’ve read those things too. It hurts sometimes because it’s so unfair and untrue, so it’s difficult sometimes. We’re just incredibly lucky. So no, I’m not retiring. That’s a really long answer.”
Discussing retiring with the other guests, she said: “I never think like that. I feel very lucky to be on that show. The show changes so much, I think that’s the beauty of This Morning. Recently it’s had the highest ratings it’s had in 15 years. It’s doing really, really well which is extraordinary for a show that’s been around for as long as it has. And I think because it changes and it evolves and it adapts."
Holly said she felt “very lucky” to work alongside her co-host each morning from Monday to Thursday, before Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond take over on Fridays. She said: “I can’t imagine a world without him being there. It just wouldn’t be the same. The magic of that show is us two together when we’re together."
She added: “Fridays are different – Dermot and Alison have their own unique magic. Co-hosts like that don’t come along very often so when they do you have to hold tight.”
The previous year, Phil praised Holly for supporting him when he came out as gay. He later said he “wouldn’t have wanted anyone else” by his side other than her. Phil made the revelation at the beginning of 2020 while he was sitting next to his co-host during a special episode of the show.
He told the BBC’s The One Show that Holly was one of the first people he told about his sexuality. “I couldn’t have done that with anyone else, I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to be sitting by the side of me," he said.
“We’d had a big lead up to that moment and Holly was one of the first people that I told and she’s such a wise person. She’s got such a calm, sensitive aura to her.” He said he had met his co-host to discuss how they would share the information with viewers.
He had initially suggested that he would reveal the information early on in This Morning on a Thursday before leaving Holly to present the rest of the show alongside someone else. However, she insisted they did it on a Friday at the end of the programme before they left together.
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