Inside Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s alleged fall out and everything we know so far

A few days have passed since reports emerged claiming co-hosts of ITV’s This Morning, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have apparently had a fall out.

However the pair seemingly put on a united front earlier this week and presented the show together yesterday and Monday. The speculation of any feud between them went unmentioned.

Holly Willoughby hasn’t made any comment about the rumours but Phillip Schofield did give a statement to The Sun last week regarding the rumoured fall out. In his statement, Phillip called Holly his “rock” and said they are “the best of friends.” So here’s everything we know about the alleged Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield fall out, including where the rumours came from.

First up, what is the alleged fall out between Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about?

Last Wednesday, The Sun published an article alleging Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby “barely speak” off air and their relationship has “cooled,” following the pair having issues for some time.

The Sun quoted an unnamed source who said the pair had gone through rough patches previously in their 14 years on-screen together but they had “always seemed to move on, but this time it seems different.” Reports claim things between Holly and Phillip have been made worse because of Schofield’s brother’s sex abuse trial, where he was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a three-year period.

Queue-gate

Last September, Holly and Phillip faced huge social media backlash when being accused of queue-jumping to see the Queen lying in state. They issued a statement to clarify the situation but that didn’t stop any public anger. The queue-jumping allegations led to a petition with over 75,000 signatures calling for their removal from This Morning.

A source told OK! the atmosphere in the ITV studio was “awful” and the queue-gate drama made the relationship between Holly and Phillip “extremely awkward.” The source said: “You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. “The fact that the audience are now noticing it too indicates that big cracks are starting to show.”

At the time of queue-gate, Holly and Phillip told This Morning viewers: “Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists we were given official permission to access the hall. It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who haven’t been able to visit Westminster in person. The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause. None of the broadcasters and journalists took anyone’s places in the queue and no one filed past the Queen. We of course respected those rules however we realised that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction.

“Please know that we would never jump a queue.”

However, despite the close relationship between Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield continuing after queue-gate, others suspected they had fallen out when news about Phillip’s brother came to light.

Phillip Schofield’s brother is a convicted sex abuser

Reports claim Phillip Schofield kept Holly Willoughby in the dark about his brother’s trial for child sex offences and this allegedly sparked the start of the fall out.

Phillip Schofield’s brother, Timothy Schofield, was convicted and is awaiting sentencing. During the trial, Phillip took a three-week break from This Morning and publicly rejected his brother. Upon Phillip’s return to This Morning, Holly was off sick with shingles.

An insider told the Daily Mail: “Holly had to find out from someone else, which must have been awful for her. She has been so loyal to him.”

Holly reportedly wiped Phillip from her socials

Viewers of This Morning started noticing Holly Willoughby had apparently removed Phillip from her social media accounts in recent weeks. Previously her Twitter bio mentioned being introduced to Twitter by a “Twitter legend,” with a tag to Phillip Schofield. However her bio now focuses on her roles.

Last week the Mirror UK reported that Holly has been pushing ITV to make a decision regarding Phillip, allowing her to rebrand herself and plan for a future if necessary. A source claimed: “Holly was considering her position on the show earlier this year, as she couldn’t see Phillip being ousted. But that is now a real possibility and she wants to see a decision made on both of their futures quickly. 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.”

It is understood Holly now sees her distance from Phillip as an opportunity to rebrand herself as a “woman’s woman”, fronting the show with Alison Hammond – as she did during Phillip’s absence from the sofa last month.

Phillip released a statement to The Sun

In a statement to The Sun, Phillip addressed any suggestion of a strained friendship with Holly, asserting that their bond remained strong. Describing Holly as his “rock” and putting an emphasis on the support she has given, he implied they were still great friends.

Phillip said: “The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us. 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.” He explained Holly had been his friend “through thick and thin.”

So far there has been no public reply from Holly Willoughby about the alleged fall out with Phillip Schofield.

Holly and Phillip share instagram statements

Posted against a pale pink background on her stories over the weekend, Holly’s post said: “Hi everyone… 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, this experience, and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”

Phillip Schofield’s statement read: “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 that I love.”

Alison and Dermot pay tribute in today’s This Morning

Alison and Dermot normally only feature on This Morning on Friday but they are currently airing live on ITV.

At the start of the episode, Alison and Dermot addressed the change as Alison said: “We can’t start today’s show without paying tribute to the man who spent the last two decades sitting on This Morning sofa, Phillip Schofield.” Dermot added: “As a show, everyone on and off screen at ITV on This Morning want to say a huge thank you to Phil for what he has done to make the show a huge success over the last 21 years.”

Alison continued: “Quite simply, he is one of the best TV broadcasters this country has ever had and we all the team wish them all the best for the future.” Dermot then said Holly will be back in two weeks following on from half term.

Updates to follow.

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