It’s over! After 15 years, Holly ‘cuts ties’ with co-host Phillip
HOLLY Willoughby has made the devastating decision to cut ties with Phillip Schofield as the rift between the TV presenters deepens, The Mail on Sunday understands.
Until recently, she has put their growing differences aside because she felt strong loyalty towards her co-host, who was key to her landing the This Morning job in 2009.
But Mr Schofield’s release last week of a statement about their friendship without first consulting her has hit her hard, friends say, and now Ms Willoughby, 42, thinks it is time to go it alone.
Those close to her are also aware that Mr Schofield’s popularity is
‘This is heartbreaking for Holly, she’s tried so hard’
plummeting, and say their 15-year friendship is effectively over.
The Mail on Sunday first revealed cracks were showing in their relationship last month, with the strains beginning with the fallout from allegations the pair ‘queue-jumped’ at the Queen’s lying-in-state.
Sources have told this newspaper that the pair no longer speak to each other when the cameras on This Morning stop rolling. They are due to appear together tomorrow, but ITV bosses fear Ms Willoughby will be too upset to go on air.
The broadcaster has refused to say whether either she or Mr Schofield will be on air, with a decision expected today.
However it looks increasingly certain Mr Schofield, 61, will leave the show. His contract is up in September and This Morning’s editor Martin Frizell – formerly one of Mr Schofield’s biggest backers – is said to be ‘fed up of clearing up Phillip’s mess’. However, he still has highlevel support elsewhere in ITV.
Ms Willoughby was photographed yesterday looking glum behind her dark glasses as she visited Hampshire. She was dressed in a £1,890 Chloe jacket, a Gucci Horsebit 1955 mini shoulder bag worth £2,480 and £99 Hoff Montreal trainers.
The rift seems to mark the end of a friendship in which they would enjoy regular dinner dates at one another’s homes and go on holiday together. A source close to Ms Willoughby said: ‘Don’t be surprised if you never see them together again, apart from on camera. This has all been so heartbreaking for Holly, but she knows she has to stand on her own two feet and cut the strings.
‘Nobody ever thought it would end like this. They were part of one another’s families and they spent a lot of their weekends socialising. She has tried so hard.’
Insiders say the most likely outcome is that Ms Willoughby will front This Morning with her new friend Alison Hammond – who cohosts the show on Fridays – or solo.