Phillip Schofield has addressed his extended This Morning absence, admitting that he's feeling 'sad' as he shared an update.
The This Morning presenter, 60, has been absent from his hosting duties on the ITV daytime show since the middle of December, and as everyone gets back to work this week, Phil is still off and enjoying his extended break - much to the annoyance of This Morning viewers.
The TV star had been enjoying a getaway in Copenhagen, and took to Instagram on Wednesday to document his recent trip after fans took to Twitter to slam him and his co-star, Holly Willoughby, for being 'lazy' and taking 'too many days off'.
Alongside a snap of himself wrapped up against the chilly Denmark temperatures, Phillip admitted that he was sad to be heading home from his most recent holiday.
The Dancing On Ice host posted a selfie and captioned it: "Sad to leave Copenhagen. No question, the friendliest city I’ve ever visited."
Phil's selfie comes after viewers were surprised to see Andi Peters and Josie Gibson filling in for himself and Holly after their lengthy Christmas break.
Although the pair were in the ITV studios on Christmas Day to present the show live for the first time ever, before that, Holly and Phil had been off for a week as Josie and fellow This Morning star Craig Doyle took the reins.
Introducing the show on Tuesday, Andi said: "Hello and welcome to your Tuesday's This Morning," before Josie added: "But this isn't any old This Morning, this is your first of 2023."
Although viewers admitted that they love both Andi and Josie, and wish they presented together more, they took to Twitter to slam Holly and Phil's extended time off, questioning why the pair seem to 'always be away from their jobs'.
"B****y Hell! How many weeks do Phil and Holly need off!!!!! I love Josie though," one viewer complained.
"I swear Holly and Phil have not worked a week straight on This Morning for months," another echoed.
A third This Morning viewer tweeted: "Holly and Phil seem to have more time off than they do actually presenting. Wish I could have time off with my family like they seem to do."
"If only we all had lives like Holly and Phil and could take time off whenever we wanted. They are living my dream," another shared.
While someone else complained: "Just give the job to Josie! Full time! At least we could count on her to actually show up."
Holly and Phillip are set to return to their hosting duties from Monday, January 9.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
