Phillip Schofield has broken his silence on claims of a backstage fallout with Holly Willoughby rumbling on behind-the-scenes of This Morning.
Bosses are said to be in a major crisis, with reports Holly, 41, wants to pull the plug on their ITV partnership for good.
The duo became ‘great friends’ having first met on Dancing on Ice and they have presented This Morning together since 2009.
She was also described as his ‘rock’ when he came out as gay live on This Morning in 2020.
Phillip, 62, has now spoken out on the reports their relationship has become strained in recent months following a string of controversies including Queuegate and his brother convicted of child sex offences.
Phillip Schofield has broken his silence on claims of a backstage fallout with Holly Willoughby
Speaking out: Phil said the past few weeks have been incredibly tough as he issued a statement amidst the surrounding rumours of tensions behind-the-scenes
‘The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.” As I have said before, Holly is my rock,’ Phil told The Sun.
‘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.’
In Phil’s absence, Holly was paired with Alison Hammond and ITV bosses were said to be overjoyed by their chemistry and are now looking for more opportunities to pair them up.
Holly has reportedly made it clear she wants to remain hosting the ITV daytime show if Phil ever expressed an interest in leaving.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Holly adores This Morning and for the first time in 14 years she has made it clear that should Phil ever leave she would want to stay. They are separate entities. It has become an open secret that things aren’t as rosy as they once were.
‘To those around them on set, it has become clear recently that Holly and Phil are not as close as they once were. Professionally you would have no idea there was anything going on because on camera they are acting exactly the same, but behind the scenes their relationship has cooled.’
The same sources said that Holly and Phil’s banter and ‘camaraderie’ off-camera was not the same and had ‘dwindled’.
An insider also claimed that the pair do not often speak to each other unless on camera while hosting This Morning.
Another insider added: ‘It has become an open secret that things aren’t as rosy as they once were, Holly however has made her position clear and that is that she wants to remain at the heart of This Morning.’
Phil has had a tumultuous few months, taking a break from work when his brother was convicted of child sex offences.
Holly and Phil faced a backlash over claims they ‘skipped the queue’ at Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state
Phillip, 62, has now issued a statement after a ‘tough’ few weeks, which saw him take three weeks off in March as his brother (pictured) was convicted of child sex offences
Hardship: ‘The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.” As I have said before, Holly is my rock,’ Phil said (pictured with his mother Pat and brother Tim)
Issues are said to have been going on for some time behind the scenes on the show and the pair are reportedly more distant than they once were.
MailOnline has contacted Holly and Phil’s representatives for comment. ITV declined to comment.
Commenting on today’s programme, Twitter users wrote: ‘Phil has tried twice to get Holly into their “giggle” mode, but she ignored him. Firstly, he laughed at a story about farts, then he mentioned glow worms light coming from their ass…
‘No response from Holly… I hope Phil and Holly make up… Holly having to pretend everythings ok with her n phil #thismorning…
‘Doesn’t matter how much they try to cover up the cooling off of their friendship, it’s obvious on the sofa. Holly’s body language says it all, the way she sits slightly turned away from Phil.’
Sharing a gif of Ted Danson recoiling with the tagline ‘There’s a lot of tension in the air right now’, a fan penned alongside: ‘The only reason I’m watching This Morning Holly and Phil’, with a smiling emoji.
Other fans noted that Holly previously had Phillip’s name tagged in her Twitter bio and the handle was now removed in favour of a list of career highlights. Despite the speculation, it cannot be clarified when the change was made.
The Twitter users wrote: ‘Didn’t Holly’s twitter bio say something about being introduced to Twitter by ‘a legend’ (ie Phil), now it’s not there…
‘Loads of newspaper reports overnight that they’ve both fallen out and don’t talk anymore. Holly’s also removed the mention of Phil from her twitter bio’.
The presenting duo have worked together for more than a decade after Holly took over from Fern Britton as Phil’s co-host back in 2009.
Holly joined the This Morning team three years after she started hosting Dancing On Ice in 2006, while Phil first appeared on the chat show four years earlier in 2002.
Holly and Phil have since left viewers in hysterics with their on and off-screen antics.
The presenting duo (pictured in November 2009) have worked together for more than a decade after Holly took over from Fern Britton as Phillip’s co-host back in 2009
They have previously spoken about their close bond and have gushed over how This Morning is a ‘family’ to them rather than just a job.
After returning to the show following his annual summer holiday last August, Phil described the show as a ‘support group’ for him.
‘It’s like ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!’ Everyone knows everything about everybody, and that’s nice… so I always miss that friendship group,’ he explained.
‘This Morning is more than just a show, it’s such a lovely group of people to come to work with and you do miss that – it’s not really a job.
Noted: Flooding Twitter while the episode aired, fans of the pair pointed out that while Phillip was trying to engage with Holly she was seen to ignore him while others insisted she was ‘pretending everything’s ok’
‘It’s more than a job, it’s much much more than that… and I’m not gonna lie, This Morning is one of my support groups and that’s a lovely thing to have.’
Holly echoed Phil’s sentiments as she described the show as ‘one big family’.
Gushing over their friendship, Phil previously described his co-host as ‘sensitive, kind, intuitive, spiritual, and a friend’, while Holly called him ‘playful, very loyal, kind, very funny, and a friend’.
They are notorious for their amusing antics on the breakfast show, sending fans into fits of laughter as they arrived to the show in the clothes from the night before following a boozy night at the National Television Awards back in 2016.
Holly and Phillip (pictured in 2012) have previously spoken about their close bond and have gushed over how This Morning is a ‘family’ to them rather than just a job
And the pair reflected on their raucous antics back in 2019, when they nostalgically marked their 10th anniversary together on This Morning.
Marking the milestone, Phil said at the time: ‘They always say ”time flies if you’re having fun” and we have such a ball, such fun together and so the time has whizzed by.
While Holly added: ‘It doesn’t feel like 10 years. It’s gone super-duper fast, but it’s been so amazing. The best mark I’ve got of that time is that it’s the same age as [my son] Harry.
‘So, as I’ve watched him grow, I know how long I’ve been on This Morning, so that’s always a visual reminder of how long I’ve been there.’
