Phillip Schofield's friendship with Holly Willoughby is believed to be in "tatters" after telling pals behind the scenes that he has been left "hung out to dry" with his This Morning axe.
The Mirror last night revealed that he was forced out from his ITV job of 18 years after a tense showdown with bosses.
It came after weeks of intense scrutiny since a bitter rift with co-host Holly Willoughby was made public.
In an announcement to his fans on Instagram, Phil said that he was stepping down in a bid to “protect the show that I love” - but failed to mention his former best pal Holly.
And behind the scenes, Phil moaned to sympathisers he had “been hung out to dry” by Holly and TV chiefs.
Phil’s contract was up in September. His place will be filled by other ITV hosts, with Alison Hammond as main back-up to Holly.
A source said: “Phil’s fate was decided on Friday. It was a unanimous decision that he had to go.
“He was upset, but firm that if he was going to walk away he wanted to keep his roles on The Cube, the British Soap Awards, and Dancing on Ice – crucially, with or without Holly.
“And they agreed to the terms he laid out. As far as he was concerned, if he was going to take one for the team, they would owe him.
“It has all been worked out in the smoothest way possible, but behind the scenes he has told friends he has been hung out to dry.
“And his friendship with Holly is now in tatters.
“It is hard to see how it could recover. The fact he chose to pointedly thank people who supported him – and the viewers – without mentioning her says it all.”
Phil - who has now fled London to be with his mum in Cornwall - released a statement at 3pm on Saturday, which read: "I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently This Morning itself has become the story. Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind.
“I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on and I want to do what I can to protect the show I love. So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope the show can move forward to a bright future.
"I’d like to thank everyone who supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers – and I’ll see you all for the Soap Awards next month.”
Meanwhile Holly shared a statement on her own Instagram account: "It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour.
“The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
