Phillip Schofield is “completely broken” and has accused ITV bosses of showing him “no respect” after he was banned from This Morning – the show is hosted by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary today.
ITV bosses are set to pay him six months’ salary after ruling his feud with co-host and former best friend Holly Willoughby cost the show too many viewers after 200,000 were shut down.
Holly, who has co-hosted “This Morning” with Phil for 13 of her more than 20 years, will return as the morning show’s host on June 5 after a two-week hiatus.
ITV confirmed Alison, 48, and Dermot, 49, who already host the show on Fridays, will appear on the sofa this morning – as ITV gold girl Alison is high on the list of possible successors.
Phil, 61, is said to have consulted his mother, ex-wife and daughters before making the shocking decision to quit the show. The announcement follows his brother’s conviction for sex crimes against a teenager.
A depressed-looking Schofield was spotted over the weekend after his last appearance on the show
The relationship between the two presenters, once hailed as the closest on TV, had reportedly ended
Alison and Dermot, who co-host the show on Fridays, will be on the sofa in their absence on Monday morning
A source close to the TV presenter told The Sun that Schofield has received a six-month salary – estimated to be around £300,000 – from ITV.
But despite the golden farewell, the presenter feels “disappointed” by the broadcaster, which has only offered him a single appearance as a prime-time presenter so far.
The source said, “Phil feels he has not been shown any respect and is devastated at how things have turned out.”
“He finds the way he was forced to resign so unfair and feels utterly heartbroken at how this situation was handled.”
The source added that Schofield feels he was stabbed “without proper consultation” and that he spoke to his mother Pat and ex-wife Stephanie before agreeing to step down.
He also spoke to daughters Molly, a talent agent at his management company YMU, and Ruby.
“Phil has dedicated over 20 years to this show and it was incredibly disturbing to him that it all ended like this,” the source explained.
However, he has received messages of support from industry insiders, the source continued.
“Privately, he has received a number of messages of support from friends in the industry.”
“It means a lot to him that people take the time to reach out.”
Phil, a regular guest on ITV shows for over two decades, will now be limited to hosting just one primetime show.
Insiders told The Mirror that the presenter will return with either “Dancing on Ice”, “The Cube” or “5 Gold Rings”.
Amid the media storm surrounding his exit from This Morning, the presenter was spotted with his mother Pat, 85, in Cornwall on Sunday, taking refuge from the media storm surrounding his exit.
Observers said he was seen steaming and gazing out to sea.
After days of reports Phil was facing bankruptcy at ITV, he shared on Instagram on Saturday that he had “agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect”.
“I’ve always prided myself on covering fascinating stories on This Morning. But lately This Morning has become history itself,” he wrote online.
Former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield said he was “completely heartbroken” by his brutal ITV termination (pictured with his mum Pat on Sunday).
Phil spent two hours steaming and looking out to sea while talking on the phone from his vehicle
Phil appeared dejected and saddened while on the phone the day after he was forced not to give the This Morning presentation
“Throughout my career in television – including the very difficult last few days – I have always tried my best to be honorable and kind.
“I understand that ITV has decided the current situation cannot continue and I want to do what I can to protect the show I love.”
“As such, I have agreed to step down from This Morning, effective immediately, in the hope that the show can look forward to a bright future.” I would like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially the amazing This Morning viewers – and we’ll see all of us at the Soap Awards next month.”
The two presenters’ relationship, once hailed as the closest on TV, had ended and Phil had reportedly not told Holly about his brother’s trial.
The partnership’s failure is said to stem from their split from Phil’s talent agency, YMU, three years ago. She later received a £1million payout from the agency.
Reportedly tired of YMU’s “bloken” culture, Holly decided to leave the company and start her own all-female company, Roxy Management.
Phil has little left of his friendship with Holly after not telling her about his brother’s child abuse case.
Timothy Schofield was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of sex offenses, including some against a teenager.
Tension: The 61-year-old TV presenter left the show after reports of a feud with his co-host Holly Willoughby
The Mail on Sunday first revealed the co-stars’ relationship was strained after they were accused of crossing the big line to pay their respects to the Queen at her funeral last year.
But it was the aftermath of Phil’s brother’s trial that reportedly dealt the final blow to their long and close friendship.
An ITV source told the Mirror over the weekend: “Phil’s fate was decided on Friday.” It was a unanimous decision that he had to leave.
“He was upset but adamant that if he did leave, he wanted to keep his roles on The Cube, the British Soap Awards and Dancing on Ice – importantly, with or without Holly.”
“Everything went as smoothly as possible, but behind the scenes he’s been telling his friends he’s been hung out to dry.” And his friendship with Holly is now in tatters.
ITV gold girl Alison is at the top of Phil’s list of possible successors, while Dermot is also in talks to take on his role
“It’s hard to imagine how it could recover.” “The fact that he chose to specifically thank the people who supported him — and the viewers — without mentioning them says it all.”
Phillip left the show after frantic meetings with his representatives and top ITV bosses.
They agreed on a compromise under which he was promised he would be able to host a new show on his own and that talks would continue on existing shows, The Mirror reported.
He made a stark statement on social media thanking fans for their support, but made no mention of Holly at all.
Holly and Phil have been accused of “jumping ahead” to see the late Queen laid in state at Westminster Hall last year
Described as a “broken man”, Phil is believed to have made every effort to see through to the end and it took “a lot of persuasion” before he agreed to an immediate termination. That means his last appearance on This Morning was last Thursday.
A source told The Sun: “ITV bosses had to choose which horse to support – Phil or Holly.” And it was clear where their allegiance lay.”
They added, “Holly is the real winner from all of this as she emerged victorious and with class.”
Upon breaking the news of Phil’s departure from the show, Holly posted: “It has been over 13 great years hosting This Morning with Phil and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, experience and… humor.”
“The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
Holly expects to spend her free time with her family for the next two weeks.
In 2020, Ms. Willoughby, getting tired of the YMU goof culture, decided to leave and start her own all-female company, Roxy Management
ITV is expected to announce a replacement for Phil in the next few weeks, but until then guest presenters will be filling in for Holly.
Phil is expected to return to the big screen on June 3 to present the British Soap Awards alongside a new peak time series.
Who will take on the role of Holly’s co-host is a hot topic at the moment and ITV are currently searching for a replacement for the prestigious role.
Alison, 48, is currently bookmaker Ladbrokes’ favorite to take on the role, giving her odds of 2/1.
She rose to fame as a Big Brother contestant in 2002 and joined This Morning as a reporter later that same year.
Alison, 48, is currently bookmaker Ladbrokes’ favorite to take on the role, giving her odds of 2/1
Dermot, 49, who has acted as a presenter on the show over the years, was rated 4/1 by Ladbrokes
During her two decades at ITV, she was lauded for her ability to make even the biggest A-listers laugh.
Martin Frizell, the veteran editor of This Morning, is keen to set Holly up with Alison, whom he promoted to presenter two years ago.
Dermot, 49, who has acted as a presenter on the show over the years, was rated 4/1 by Ladbrokes.
There are other contenders for a permanent spot on one of Britain’s most popular daytime TV shows, too.
Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes and her husband JLS star Marvin Humes are among the contestants, as are Rylan Clark, Josie Gibson and Gino D’Acampo.
Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes is among those considered to be Phil’s replacement (pictured here together on last month’s show).
ITV, meanwhile, said Holly will continue to host the show with “members of the This Morning family”.
Despite sitting on the couch for 13 years, Phil made no mention of his former “best friend” Holly in his statement about leaving the show.
Meanwhile, Holly’s statement thanking her former co-host for his “knowledge, experience and humor” has been widely scrutinized.
It was posted to Instagram and featured a pink heart emoji which sources familiar with Holly told the Chron to symbolize “girl power” – which may take on new meaning now that Phil has been banned from the show.
Phillip Schofield’s full resignation statement
“I’ve always prided myself on covering fascinating stories on This Morning. But lately, This Morning has become history itself.
“Throughout my career in television – including the very difficult last few days – I have always tried my best to be honorable and kind.
“I understand that ITV has decided the current situation cannot continue and I want to do what I can to protect the show I love.”
Phillip said: “I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect in the hope that the show can see a bright future.”
Holly shared her own statement, which read, “I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for all his knowledge, experience and humor.” The sofa won’t feel the same without him.
“As such, I have agreed to step down from This Morning, effective immediately, in the hope that the show can see a bright future.”
“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially the amazing viewers of This Morning – and see you at the Soap Awards next month.”
Holly Willoughby’s full testimony
“It has been over 13 great years hosting This Morning with Phil and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his knowledge, experience and humor. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.’