What happened to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby's friendship? 'Fallout' explained

As Phillip Schofield appears to take aim at former best pal Holly Willoughby, the Mirror takes a look back at the pair’s reported fall out, from brutal mocking to secret meetings

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were once the closest of friends, with Phil even once describing his This Morning co-host as ‘the sister he never had’.

However, the former co-presenters’ relationship is now a far cry from what it was, with Phillip, 62, recently appearing to take a swipe at Holly in a furious tirade about his time with ITV. Once one of daytime telly’s most well-liked duos, the pair haven’t been seen together since Phillip’s explosive exit from This Morning, and it doesn’t appear as though any fences will be mended anytime soon.

As Phillip prepares to return to our screens in Channel 5’s Cast Away, evidence would suggest that Holly would be the last person he’d be keen to share a deserted island with. Here, the Mirror takes a look at the fractured double-act’s allegedly bitter feud…

‘Jealousy’

It was reported that Phil was ‘jealous’ of Holly on I’m A CelebBack in 2019, their working relationship was said to have become ‘strained’ amid claims that Phil was ‘jealous’ when Holly replaced Ant McPartlin on the 2018 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here and won a BAFTA for it.

Sources alleged that Phil banned Holly from speaking about her victory on the show, and claimed he wasn’t happy about a photo spread in a weekend newspaper that had focused on Holly and not him. The source told The Sun: “Phillip was furious. He didn’t want Holly mentioning her triumph when they reunited on This Morning.

“It felt very petty and bitter for someone who is his close friend. But it felt like he was jealous.” Tensions were also said to have increased when Holly allegedly wanted Phil to stop posting videos of her boozing on social media but used their joint management company to deliver her request.

This Morning bosses hit back at the claims and said Phillip and Holly had a “genuine friendship”. A spokesperson said: “We have the smartest viewers watching telly and believe me they would be the first to notice any issues – they haven’t because there are none.”

Holly and Phil were incredibly close off-screen and even holidayed together (
Image:
Instagram)
ITV also refuted any unrest, saying in a full statement: “It’s deeply disappointing and unfair for Phillip to be the target of this sort of malicious gossip. “Phillip is a much-respected broadcaster and colleague and this is absolutely not a description of This Morning that we recognise.

“Holly and Phil are great friends both on and off screen and are popular among viewers and colleagues alike.” Finally addressing the rumours in 2021, Holly told pal Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast that she couldn’t deal with people having the wrong idea.

She said: “I was watching from afar when you’ve got every person in the press saying that you and Phillip are having a tough time. Meanwhile, you’re great friends and there were no arguments. “That was a particularly difficult time. But I remember having a conversation with Phil and it was like, ‘But we know’.”

Holly added: “I have to believe that, as long as you know inside, and you know the truth – you know your truth – then everything is ok.”

Queue-gate drama

The pair found themselves at the centre of a social media backlash in September after being falsely accused of jumping the queue to visit the Queen lying in state.

An insider said ‘big cracks’ started to show after the Queue-gate dramaThis Morning and the presenters later issued a statement clarifying the issue, but public anger continued to rise – with over 75,000 signing a petition to axe Holly and Phil from the ITV show. A source told OK! that the atmosphere in the studio was “awful” and the Queue-gate drama has made their relationship “extremely awkward”.

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife,” the insider said. “The fact that the audience are now noticing it too indicates that big cracks are starting to show.” At the time, Phil and Holly told viewers: “Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists we were given official permission to access the hall.

Holly and Phil explained that they were given official permission to attend (
Image:
ITV)
“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.”

Kept in the dark

Despite their closeness, Phillip is said to have kept Holly in the dark over his brother Timothy’s trial for child sex offences. Timothy was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy.

It is claimed Phillip didn’t tell Holly about his brother’s trial for child sex offences (
Image:
Instagram/ Phillip Schofield)
During the hearing, Phil – who has since publicly rejected his brother – took three weeks off work from This Morning, and fans were surprised when, on his return, Holly took a week 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.”

Distancing herself

Eagle-eyed fans noticed 42-year-old Holly has seemingly wiped Phillip from her social media. In her Twitter bio she had previously written: “I was introduced to this by a Twitter legend,” before tagging her presenting partner.

Her Twitter bio now reads: “Broadcaster, Founder of Wyldemoon, Brand ambassador for Marks & Spencer and Garnier, Author of Reflections” – something that didn’t slip past her and Phil’s viewers.

Before Phillip announced his immediate leave from This Morning, Holly had reportedly been pushing for ITV to make a decision, so she could rebrand herself as a “woman’s woman”.

It has been said that Holly is attempting to rebrand herself away from Phil
At the time, a source told the Mirror: “Holly was considering her position on the show earlier this year, as she couldn’t see Phil 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.”

Shock statement

In a statement to The Sun, Phillip shut down any suggestion that his friendship with Holly had suffered. Describing her as his ‘rock’, he said: “The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us. My family went through a real ordeal.

Phillip denied any dispute in an interview that Holly wasn’t aware of (
Image:
ITV)
“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.” Phillip explained that Holly had been his pal through “thick and thin”.

But Holly is said to have been ‘ blindsided’ and ‘deeply upset’ by the statement as she had no idea Phil was going to speak publicly about their rumoured rift. A source claimed it was “desperate stuff” from Phillip given the current state of their relationship. There was no public reply from Holly.

Missing tribute

Phillip announced he was stepping down as host of This Morning with immediate effect in May 2023 – but his statement failed to address his co-host of over 13 years.

The TV stalwart said: “I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story.

Phillip Schofield’s statement in full

Holly’s post
“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.

“So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers – and I’ll see you all for the Soap Awards next month.”

Many fans took to social media after noticing there was no mention of Holly, who at that point remained as a presenter on the show, with one viewer commenting: “Working with someone that long and no mention of them in your statement…”.

Meanwhile, Holly shared a sweet tribute to her former co-host on Instagram. She wrote: “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, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”

Phillip shared his statement on Instagram but once again did not mention Holly. Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Holly would be taking a break over the school holidays, with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary stepping in

Explaining Holly’s absence at the time, Dermot said: “Holly is taking a break over half term, she’ll be back in the studio in two weeks.”

In October of that year, Holly also stepped down from This Morning, following a terrifying kidnap plot. In a statement, Holly told fans: “It’s been an honour to just be part of its story and I know this story has many chaptes left to go. Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family. I will miss you all so much.”

Apparant ‘mockery’

In episode two of Phillip Schofield : Cast Away, Phillip could be seen appearing to mock Holly as he asked his family “If you’re okay, then we’re okay and I’m Okay. Are you okay?” Holly famously asked this question ‘Are you OK’ of viewers after Phillip quit This Morning last year, with some viewers slamming the intro as awkward and cringey.

‘Fake friends’ comment

In another Cast Away scene, Phillip could be seen ranting about the lack of support he received following his This Morning exit. He remarked: “When what happened to me happened to me, it screwed up my favourite building in the world, and it pretty well blew away all those happy memories, and suddenly the place became hostile to me, and that was heartbreaking.

“And the people who did it to me, know, they know how important that building was to me. They know that when you throw someone under a bus, you’ve got to have a really bloody good reason to do it. Brand, ambition is not good enough. It’s not a good enough reason to throw someone under a bus.”

In a comment some believe to be directed at Holly, Phillip said: “People just went who I thought were my friends and they just went. And that’s like ‘what the hell?’.” He continued: “It is hard to come to terms with the fact that the people you thought you knew were not the people that you knew. They had completely different agendas.” Phillip then went on to declare that he doesn’t need ‘200 fake friends’, adding that he now has 10 to 15 pals he ‘would die for’.

Secret meeting

This follows reports that Phillip’s daughter Molly Schofield, 30, allegedly attended a secret meeting with ITV bosses, who she allegedly asked to apologise to her father for forcing him from his This Morning post. The Times reports that Molly, who acts as a publicist for her dad, also demanded to know whether or not Phillip had been ‘blacklisted’ in the aftermath of his affair with a younger colleague.

Molly was reportedly informed that Phillip had not been blacklisted – but no apology would be issued as Phillip makes his TV comeback. One source told the publication: “There’s a lot of people who happily basked in Phillip’s glory for many years and then just ditched him.”

Taking a different view, however, another said: “This Morning is happier without him. You always felt like you were walking on eggshells when he was there. He had an almost oppressive hold on the show.”