THEY were once one of the most beloved presenting duos on TV, so close that they regularly holidayed together with their families.
And when Phillip Schofield chose to come out live on This Morning in 2020, it was his best pal Holly Willoughby who proved the pillar of strength by his side.
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But their super-tight relationship fell apart last year in spectacular fashion, with neither of them now presenting This Morning, or even remaining on speaking terms.
Now Phil, who’s making his TV comeback tonight on Channel 5 survival show Cast Away, has taken aim at those “who betrayed him” 16 months ago when he quit This Morning after admitting to having lied about an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a much younger male colleague.
Phillip will be seen fending for himself for 10 days on a remote island paradise, located off the coast of Madagascar, in the three-part programme.
And he appears to blame his dramatic fall from grace on a trio of his former ITV colleagues, without naming any, saying: “I think there are only three s***s [of showbiz].”
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He pointed out that one was a “coward who never stepped up in Queuegate,” while another “is a coward because they never stepped up when I was being battered”.
In a clip obtained by The Sun, Schofield claims the third “is just brand-orientated,” adding: “Not what you expect, not what you think you’re going to get.”
While he has not named Holly directly in any snipes, their relationship is undoubtedly at an all-time low and appears beyond repair.
Here, we we reveal how the pair went from best friends to a huge fall-out – even before Phil quit This Morning.
This Morning glory
Holly and Phil first started working together on Dancing On Ice in 2006, and then three years later, when Fern Britton quit This Morning, Holly stepped in to host by Phil’s side, and became part of the furniture.
They quickly became best friends, and Holly always said it was Phil she had to thank for her This Morning job.
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She said in 2021: “If it wasn’t for Phil, I wouldn’t be on This Morning now because everyone around him at the time when he suggested my name, were like, ‘What? No! She might be alright in the fashion bit but there’s no way she could interview the Prime Minister…’
“And I remember when I got the job and I totally only have him to thank for that and his belief.
“In literally week one, I had to interview the Prime Minister and I remember thinking in my head ‘Oh my god, I can’t do this, they know I can’t do this.'”
But it wasn’t just a work relationship the pair had.
They regularly holidayed together with their families and, in 2016, they even shared photos of themselves in the sea, with Holly wearing an “I heart PS” T-shirt and Phil matching in an “I heart HW” one.
Although they were parodying Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift with the tees, Phil captioned the photo “bestie” and Holly added: “Love!!!”
They partied together as well, and infamously shared hangovers on many occasions.
In 2016, they came on to present This Morning, wearing the same clothes they’d been wearing at the National Television Awards the night before, having come straight from an after-party at Ant McPartlin’s house.
‘Queen Holly’ jealousy
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Holly and Phil’s relationship appears to have first become strained in 2019, when she won a BAFTA for I’m A Celebrity, having stepped in for Ant to present the show alongside Declan Donnelly, while he was recovering from a painkiller addiction.
The series she presented also secured ITV record viewing figures – and Phil reportedly started to get jealous.
A 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.”
Around the same time, Holly and Phil had been interviewed together for the Sunday Times Magazine.
On the front cover, Holly was branded “Queen Holly” and pictured wearing a cartoon crown, while Phillip was left bare-headed.
Phillip was said to be livid with the article, and the mag was forced to write a letter of apology to his management.
But This Morning bosses hit back at the claims and said Phillip and Holly had a “genuine friendship”.
They 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.”
Distanced herself
We revealed the rift between Holly and Phil went further the following year, when Holly went to war with her and Phil’s agents YMU Group.
She chose to leave YMU to start her own agency, Roxy Management, but ended up in a legal battle over their claim for 15 per cent of her future earnings.
Two years later, Holly pocketed £1million in an out-of-court settlement with the agency — where Phil remains and is a shareholder.
Phil has previously been reported to earn £1million from YMU, with an insider saying: “Phil is very much a big player at YMU and is widely regarded there.”
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
A source
A source said: “Holly quietly started to distance herself from Phil back in 2020.
“She created her own female-led agency for a reason — and that was to champion women.
“The legal issues rumbled on for 18 months but Holly fought for what was right.”
Holly finally addressed any rumours of a fall-out in 2021, on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, insisting she and Phil were as close as ever.
And she said she found it hard to deal with people believing there was anything wrong with their friendship.
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’.
“I have to believe that, as long as you know inside, and you know the truth – you know your truth – then everything is ok.”
Queuegate
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The following year, things seemed to get very bad for the friends, as even This Morning viewers began noticing there was tension between them on-screen.
It came after a huge social media backlash against them, as they were accused of jumping the days-long queue to see the Queen lying in state, following her death in September 2022.
Explaining what happened at the time, Holly and Phil told 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.”
Despite this, over 75,000 people signed a petition to axe Holly and Phil from This Morning, and a source told OK! it had 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.”
‘Blindsided’ by paedo brother
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Even more strain came on Holly and Phil’s relationship in April last year, as Phillip’s brother Timothy was found guilty of a string of sexual offences – including abusing a teenage boy.
In the trial, Phillip confessed his brother told him what he’d done.
In his written evidence, he recalled: “I said, ‘I don’t want you to tell me anymore’. I said, ‘You’ve got to stop, just never do it again. Regardless how that happened it must never happen again’.”
Phil publicly declared he had disowned his brother, after he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Who could the three be?
HOLLY WILLOUGHBY: Phil’s ex-best pal. They presented on This Morning for 14 years and went on hols together.
MARTIN FRIZZELL: The executive producer at This Morning, who Phil is no longer following on social media.
DAME CAROLYN McCALL: ITV chief executive called Phil’s relationship with a younger staff member “deeply inappropriate”.
He also took three weeks off work from This Morning during the hearing.
But Holly was said to be upset Phil hadn’t warned her in advance that the trial was happening, or what his brother was accused of.
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.”
Tellingly, she then took a week off work as Phil returned, claiming it was due to shingles.
She also wiped any sign of her co-star from her Twitter bio, deleting the part that said: “I was introduced to this by a Twitter legend.”
It was also reported Holly was threatening to quit This Morning if Phil wasn’t axed instead of her.
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.”
But Phillip shut down any rumours of a feud again, describing Holly as his “rock,” and saying she’d been with him “through thick and thin”.
He told The Sun: “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.”
Again, Holly was reportedly “blindsided” by his statement, but she kept quiet on the state of their relationship.
Ghosted by Holly
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But, then Phil’s affair with a younger colleague came to light, and Holly showed where she stood, revealing in a statement Phil had lied to her over the relationship.
Phillip then announced he was stepping down from This Morning with immediate effect in May 2023, and failed to mention Holly in his statement.
Meanwhile, Holly’s statement was very brief.
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.”
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Phillip has since revealed that he reached out to Holly after the news broke but didn’t receive a reply.
He said: “The last time we had a conversation was when I texted Holly and said, ‘Don’t reply, you’re probably not allowed to, but I am deeply deeply sorry that I lied to you.'”
