Phillip Schofield presented the final half an hour of This Morning alone - leaving fans 'puzzled'.
Holly Willoughby and Phil kicked off the programme together this morning, but Holly was forced to leave early as she had to head to Buckingham Palace where she was introducing the winners of the Prince's Trust awards to King Charles.
It meant she had to depart the programme early, leaving Phil to host alone. The pair said their goodbyes by sharing a kiss on the cheek before she headed off just before 12. However, her apparent 'disappearance' confused fans tuning into the show from home.
One viewer wrote: "Seriously wondered if they'd had a barney on air when I switched over to just Phillip! Apparently Holly left to interview King Charles. Wtf #ThisMorning," as a second added: "Where’s Holly? #ThisMorning."
"Holly seems to have disappeared from #ThisMorning," a third shared, as a fourth added: "Where's Holly? just switched on."
Over the weekend, The Mirror confirmed Holly has been pushing for a new deal with the show.
"Holly was considering her position on the show earlier this year, as she couldn’t see Phil being ousted. But that is now a real possibility and she wants to see a decision made on both of their futures quickly," the source said.
"That is what is behind Holly asking her team to reach out to ITV – she is trying to move things forward. There has been no bloodbath meeting yet, but that could well be to come. The sooner it happens, the sooner she can rebrand herself."
Sources have since claimed to the Daily Mail that bosses have called 'crisis talks' over the pair's presenting partnership.
"Social media is used as a barometer to see what the public think. Those in charge were left no under no illusion that it was a total disaster. It was painful for the This Morning team to work on and it was just as painful for them to watch," the insider said.
"There was a meeting afterwards to discuss how it went that went on for some time. To be honest, everyone was just so relieved to get it over with, but even if the show does continue to go on for some time, it will continue to be a massive headache."
Reports have also suggested Phil could be one of the big stars getting the chop from the show this summer.
"This Morning is preparing for some seismic changes this summer — and Phil is lined up as the first major name for the chop when his contract expires this summer. It’s highly unlikely he’ll be back in September."
They added how the show are planning for a "new look This Morning" and many "feel it is time for some fresh blood" on the show, with This Morning boss Martin Frizell, who has been in charge since 2016, also reportedly facing the chop.
