Phillip Schofield reportedly referred to Holly Willoughby as “the witch” he blames for his downfall.
Once close friends and co-hosts on This Morning, their relationship soured after Schofield confessed to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague.
Following his resignation from all his TV roles, Willoughby addressed This Morning viewers saying that she felt "shaken, troubled, let down," and concerned for both Schofield and the younger colleague.
She also claimed that Schofield had not been truthful with his friends, colleagues, or fans, he had also not been truthful to ITV, his agent YMU and his family.
While the 66-year-old recently made a veiled jab at Willoughby on his Channel 5 show Cast Away, it has now revealed that his nickname for his former colleague reflects his belief that she played a direct role in his downfall.
A source told The Sun that within Schofield's inner circle, Willoughby is now referred to as “the witch”.
According to the source, the TV presenter even uses the hatted witch emoji when discussing her in messages.
They revealed: “He dislikes Holly so much now that he calls her 'the witch' when talking about her and sends the emoji to his friends if her name comes up.
“He also messaged Holly, telling her, 'You brought me down.' He’s still furious about it.”
Schofield was reportedly shocked when Willoughby didn’t come to his defense after his career ended and blamed her for not publicly supporting him, especially following their rumoured fallout after his brother’s court case in May 2023.
The former This Morning host had asked Willoughby for a public gesture of support, such as a picture of them together, but she declined.
A friend of Schofield told The Mirror that he knew his time on the show was over as soon as she didn’t back him.
“He believes a simple gesture from her could have saved his job, but her refusal sealed his fate,” the insider shared. “The TV chemistry between them was the foundation of This Morning.”
Willoughby reportedly told Schofield she didn’t want to "feed the narrative" and claimed ITV bosses advised her against making any public statements.
After he sent her a WhatsApp message asking for support, she allegedly replied that she was unaware of the full situation, according to a friend.
However, the TV presenter was so upset by her response that he later complained to two senior ITV executives.
Schofield reportedly felt betrayed, believing Holly and a This Morning boss had orchestrated a "well-constructed coup" as his career unraveled.
A source added: “Phillip thought of her as a close friend, his ‘TV sister,’ and always supported her, even recommending her forI'm A Celebrity.Her lack of public backing felt like a deep betrayal to him.”
The Standard has contacted Holly Willoughby’s reps for comment.
