Holly Willoughby 'wanted to say more' in her opening statement on This Morning, a body language expert has claimed. The presenter made her much-awaited comeback appearance on the ITV daytime show on Monday (June 5) where she was joined by Josie Gibson.
After a brief 'Hi' to viewers watching at home, Holly turned to Josie and thanked her for being with her before launching into a statement. It comes as viewers saw her on-screen for the first time in a fortnight after she extended her planned half-term break following Phillip Schofield's shock exit.
It has since been reported that the friendship between Holly and Phil is on the rocks after he admitted to the 'unwise but not illegal' affair and also confessed to lying to his co-stars and employers. Following his bombshell statement, Holly later released her own saying that she felt 'hurt' that she had been lied to.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
During her emotional return to the popular ITV daytime show for the first time in a fortnight, the 42-year-old said she felt "shaken, troubled, let down and worried" about the events that led to Phillip's shock departure from This Morning.
She started by addressing her former colleague and friend by name before not mentioning him again. Holly said: "Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil. And I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions."
During interviews last week, Phillip told The Sun and the BBC that Holly did not know about the "unwise, but not illegal" affair with a much younger ITV colleague, and has apologised for lying to her.
Dressed in a sleeveless white buttoned dress, mum-of-three Holly continued: "You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV, and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.
"And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal, for the health and wellbeing of everyone."
Holly then thanked viewers for their support, saying: "I hope that as we start this new chapter, and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other. And from my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning.
"Myself, Josie, Dermot (O’Leary), Alison (Hammond), Craig (Doyle), and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you that, this show that we love."
As This Morning viewers reacted to her statement, a body language expert has claimed that Holly appeared uncomfortable.
Expert Darren Stanton has opened up on why he believes there was an 'area of disingenuousness', as he could feel she 'wanted to say a lot more' during her opening statement. Speaking on behalf of Slingo, Darren said: "I didn’t feel the connection with Holly during her statement and it didn’t seem genuine...
"She definitely needed to address it, but I could feel that she wanted to say a lot more. I’m not quite sure if she meant every word. She did look upset, but that could be for a number of reasons. It’s probably down to the whole situation. She had Josie there and they did have a hug at the end. Josie is a lot more kinaesthetic, a lot more touchy-feely. However, Holly is a lot more reticent."
He also explained how Holly ‘wasn’t herself at all’ and seemed to feel ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘uncertain’ - as he described the host as a ‘fish out of water’ and showing ‘disconnect with the audience’.
"During the first interview, Josie seemed to have a real rapport with the first guest, and non verbally she had open palm gestures, she was leaning forward and smiled a lot," Darren explained. "If you didn’t know Holly, you could have assumed she was new to the team. I think she feels like she's a fish out of water.
"She obviously needs time to adjust and get back into her routine, but you can tell she is uncertain and not very comfortable. She was folding her arms and I don’t think she built a rapport with the guests like Josie did. Josie seemed to be more comfortable. You can tell Holly is disconnected from the audience as she is deeply affected by the whole thing. She isn’t herself at all."
READ NEXT:
- This Morning viewers react to tearful Holly Willoughby's statement with claim as she's embraced by Josie Gibson
- Holly Willoughby's This Morning statement in full as she addresses Phillip Schofield scandal for the first time
- Britain's Got Talent viewers make 'cancel' demand after Ant McPartlin issues apology and suffers fall amid crowning winner
- Eamonn Holmes addresses 'standing by' Phillip Schofield as he blasts Jeremy Clarkson support in latest tirade
- Phillip Schofield 'won't watch' Holly Willoughby's This Morning return
