Phillip Schofield has addressed his friendship with This Morning co-star Holly Willoughby, calling her his "rock" despite what recent reports may suggest.
In recent weeks, it's been alleged that their friendship has come under strain following his brother Timothy's sex abuse trial last month.
In a statement with The Sun, Phillip said: "As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We're the best of friends - as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone.
"Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I've been there for her. The last few weeks haven't been easy for either of us."
Phillip and Holly have been close friends for years, having presented This Morning together since 2009 and co-hosted Dancing on Ice since 2006.
Their on-screen partnership has led to huge success with their flagship programme winning multiple awards at the National Television Awards, TRIC Awards and the TV Choice Awards for Best Daytime Show.
Phillip added: "My family went through a real ordeal, and Holly's support throughout meant the world to me - as did the support of my bosses at ITV, my editor Martin Frizell and the whole This Morning family, including our amazing viewers. Whatever happens, we still have each other to count on." HELLO! has reached out to representatives for both stars for comment.
Phillip has previously heaped praise on his co-host and dear friend for all her support in the months surrounding his decision to come out as gay in February 2020.
"To think how lucky I am to have been able to have worked through all of this [and] to have had the therapy that Holly's given me all the way through," he told The Times, whilst reflecting on presenting during the pandemic.
"I have been broadcasting a long time, but I never thought I'd actually broadcast through something like this."
In 2018, Holly opened up candidly about her treasured relationship with Phillip in an interview with The Guardian - comparing the bond she has with him to the one she shares with her sister. She admitted that they’ve never had an argument in their years working together, and that their off-screen relationship is exactly the same as their This Morning one.
"Now we’ve got to the stage where we’ll say the same things at the same time on screen, in the same way. It’s really weird. The only other person I’ve got that with is my sister," she said.
The pair are known for their very close relationship, even holidaying together in Portugal during the summers with their families.
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