Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield are reportedly set to take a week-long break from This Morning, amid rumours of their ongoing feud.
The presenting duo are set to be spending some time apart as they will reportedly be stepping away from the ITV show in just over a week’s time.
It comes amid reports Holly and Phillip are ‘not as close as they once were’ and now barely speak off-camera as their has friendship cooled.
And Holly, 42, and Phillip, 61, are both planning to take a week off for the half-term break, before returning to the programme on Monday June 5, according to The Sun.
It follows the usual practice of the two presenters being given time off over the school holidays, as they also normally take a long break over the summer.
Break: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield are reportedly set to take a week-long break from This Morning, amid rumours of their ongoing feud
MailOnline has contacted ITV and Holly and Phillip’s representatives for comment.
It comes after Holly shared an awkward kiss with Phillip earlier this week as she left him to host the end of This Morning alone.
On Wednesday’s show, Holly announced she would be leaving off early to go to Buckingham Palace to introduce the winners of the Prince’s Trust Awards to King Charles.
Before the TV star’s departure she and Phil put on a united front as they embraced and kissed each other on the cheek, prompting viewers to praise them for their ‘Oscars-level performance’.
Fans took to social media to joke that Holly ‘looked happy’ to be able to leave the episode early.
One wrote: ‘Given the, erm, *circumstances* I reckon Holly jumped at the chance to knock off half an hour early.’
A second said: ‘No wonder Holly looks happier. She gets to leave early.’
Body language expert Judi James called the moment ‘rather awkward’, adding that it was ‘instigated by Holly after a flurry of shyness signals that included stroking her hair and placing one hand over her mouth as she giggled’.
Time off: Holly, 42, and Phillip, 61, planning to take a week off for the half-term break, before returning to the programme on Monday June 5, according to reports
She told MailOnline: ‘His pose was all casual angles, from the tilted head and shoulders to the bent knee and the asymmetric smile, and his hands looked as though they were hanging casually from his pockets rather than being stuffed there.
‘In contrast, Holly’s pose looked straight to attention, with her torso upright and her arms straight to her sides.
‘She looked shocked at Phil’s sudden, playful ”Tell me all about it!”, which came with a dramatic circling of the head and a lift of the brows as he twisted his neck at a 45 degree angle to look back at her in a wide-opened-eyes stare.
‘Holly’s ”I had a lovely day yesterday” received another flattering comment from Phil that looked overkill enough to hint at a teeniest dab of sarcasm. ”You looked gorgeous” came with a raised chin and closed eyes.’
The night before, Holly had been on presenting duties at the Prince’s Trust Awards in London, while Phil was nowhere to be seen as he attended the London Wine Fair.
The duo have failed to address their rift since returning to This Morning, but it’s been rumoured Phil faces the axe if they are unable to reverse a decline in viewing figures.
It comes after 170,000 fewer viewers watched Monday’s episode compared to the previous week amid claims the pair seemed ‘awkward’.
Figures revealed Monday’s episode had an average of 726,720 people watching compared to 894,000 on the same day last week.
Peak viewership was also significantly down at 914,000 compared to 1.058million on May 8.
By contrast, the duo pulled in 1.3m viewers for their 2022 Christmas show and an average of 1.4m in the first four weeks of 2021.
Concern about the breakfast programme’s future has prompted speculation about an upcoming personnel shake-up, with insiders claiming Phil could be forced out along with top producer Martin Frizell.
Speaking to The Sun, a source said: ‘This Morning is preparing for some seismic changes this summer – Phil is lined up as the first major name for the chop when his contract expires this summer. Seeing the reaction of This Morning viewers has been a wake-up call.’
But PR expert Mark Borkowski played down the chance of any imminent personnel moves, saying ITV would seek to ‘ride out the cyclone’.
Oh dear: It comes after Holly left Phillip to host the end of This Morning alone, giving him an awkward kiss on her way out, amid reports they are ‘not as close as they once were’
Awkward: Body language expert Judi James called the kiss moment ‘rather awkward’, adding that it was ‘instigated by Holly after a flurry of shyness signals’
He told MailOnline: ‘I think ITV and programme bosses will indeed take a long hard look at the presenters.
‘Perhaps it’s a time to change and regenerate with two fresh faces. But don’t write any obits just yet.
‘Viewing figures fluctuate and I’m sure bosses will be looking at a long term aggregates. The issue is to look at all the options and no bow to social media surges.’
Senior figures at ITV called a crisis meeting following a wave of negative social media feedback about Monday’s show.
