Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have been widely rumoured to be having a difficult time at the moment. Despite the pair being very close friends, as well as co-stars on This Morning, there have been increasing reports of tension behind the scenes, with Phillip himself releasing a statement admitting that it has been a difficult time for them both. So how did their fall out begin in the first place?
In this statement, Phillip spoke about his recent troubles, where he took a long break from presenting This Morning during his brother's trial. Timothy Schofield was found guilty of child sex offences. At the time, Phillip said: "These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother."
He also talked about how the trial has impacted his life, telling The Sun: "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.
"My family went through a real ordeal. 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. And of course, Holly has herself been ill with shingles. Whatever happens, we still have each other to count on."
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockEamonn Holmes, who previously presented This Morning and worked alongside Holly and Phil, spoke about the situation on GB News, sharing: "I think there should have been a special award for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby for best actors… He's brought in lawyers, she's brought in a PR team.
MORE: Everything Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have said about their friendship
"The public surely will suss that there's no chemistry, that it's a broken fit between the two of them and that This Morning does not depend on who presents it. It's an institution. It will carry on no matter who presents it and anyone can check the viewing figures, there's no difference between whether they present it or anyone else."
Lorraine Kelly, who also works at ITV with the pair, told The Sun that it was "business as usual" on set. She said: "Do you know what they were back today and it was business as usual and everyone is just getting on with it… I would be sad if they left the show. But I don’t think that is ever likely to happen and I think they’re just getting on with it."
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockThe pair faced heavy scrutiny back in late 2022 following the death of the Queen when they were snapped in the press line to witness the monarch’s body lying in state.
Holly addressed the situation in a voiceover on This Morning, saying: "Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists we were given permission to access the hall.
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"None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone's place in the queue and no one filed past the Queen. We of course respected those rules, however, we realise that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction. Please know that we would never jump a queue."
© Photo: Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Phillip asked why he should apologise when asked about it. Speaking to a GB News reporter, he said: "You've already seen that 700 other journalists did exactly the same thing… I think that it was a shame that what happened, happened."
Holly and Phil's best friendship moments...
© Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
© Photo: Instagram
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