Holly Willoughby has made the devastating decision to sever ties with Phillip Schofield as the rift between TV presenters widens, The Mail on Sunday learns.
Until recently, she put her growing differences aside because she felt a fierce loyalty to her co-host, who was key to her getting the job on This Morning in 2009.
But that Mr Schofield last week released a statement about their friendship without consulting them first hit them hard, friends say, and now Ms Willoughby, 42, thinks it’s time to go it alone.
Those close to her also know that Mr. Schofield’s popularity is falling and say their 15-year friendship is effectively over.
Holly Willoughby has made the devastating decision to sever ties with Phillip Schofield, The Mail on Sunday learns (Holly Willoughby was spotted out in Hampshire today)
Thoughtful: Holly Willoughby looked dejected as she stepped out on Saturday amid her alleged “feud” with This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield
It has also been claimed that Holly wants to start contract negotiations amid the feud, while ITV bosses reportedly have no plans to hold peace talks between the two.
The Mail on Sunday first revealed cracks in their relationship last month, with tensions beginning in the wake of allegations the couple “jumped in line” at the Queen’s funeral.
Sources have told this newspaper that the two stopped speaking once This Morning cameras stopped rolling. They are due to perform together tomorrow but ITV bosses fear Ms Willoughby will be too upset to go on the air.
The station refused to say whether she or Mr Schofield will be on the air. A decision is expected today.
However, it is looking increasingly certain that Mr Schofield, 61, will leave the show. His contract expires in September and This Morning editor Martin Frizell – formerly one of Mr Schofield’s biggest supporters – is said to be “tired of cleaning up Phillip’s mess”. However, he still enjoys high-level support elsewhere at ITV.
Ms Willoughby was photographed visiting Hampshire yesterday looking dejected behind her dark glasses. She wore a £1,890 Chloe jacket, a £2,480 Gucci Horsebit 1955 mini shoulder bag and £99 Hoff Montreal trainers.
The breakup appears to mark the end of a friendship in which they regularly met up for dinner at home and went on vacations together.
A source close to Ms Willoughby said: “Don’t be surprised if you never see them together again, except on camera.” It’s all been so heartbreaking for Holly, but she knows she has to stand up on her own and pull the strings .
Crisis: ITV bosses held crisis talks over Phillip Schofield’s future on This Morning last night after he was reported to have ‘confronted’ Holly in a tense phone call
A source close to her said: “No one ever thought it would end like this.” They were each other’s families and spent much of their weekends socializing.
“No one ever thought it would end up like this.” They were each other’s families and spent much of their weekends socializing. She tried so hard.’
Insiders say the most likely outcome is that Ms Willoughby will appear on This Morning alongside her new friend Alison Hammond – who co-hosts the show on Fridays – or alone.
It has also been reported that Ms Willoughby wants to start contract negotiations with ITV bosses as she is said to be considering her position on the show.
A source told The Mirror: “Holly was reconsidering her position on the show earlier in the year as she couldn’t imagine Phil being ousted.”
“But that’s a real possibility now and she wants a decision about her future made quickly.”
“It’s what prompts Holly to ask her team to reach out to ITV – she’s trying to move things forward.”
Meanwhile, another insider claimed that Mr. Schofield was nicknamed “The Grim Reaper” on “This Morning” by some people who didn’t get along with him.
“He’s obviously very passionate about the show, but the way he’s wielding his influence has made him very unpopular with some,” the insider told the publication.
However, it has been claimed that ITV has no plans to hold peace talks between the co-hosts, with a source claiming it was “too late” for outside intervention.
Fearing their working relationship could end, a source from the show told The Sun, “Holly just wants Phil gone.”
The source also claimed that the atmosphere on set had become “shocking,” with some believing mediation would be a good idea.
They continued, “We all think mediation would be a great idea because something needs to be done.”
The breakup appears to mark the end of a friendship in which they regularly met up for dinner at home and went on vacations together
“Of course, all the bosses have had meetings about it, but the only way to deal with something like this is for the two former friends to face each other face-to-face and discuss it.”
Web have reached out to ITV and representatives for Ms Willoughby and Mr Schofield for comment.
The presenter duo have worked together for more than a decade after Holly replaced Fern Britton as Mr Schofield’s co-host in 2009.
Ms Willoughby joined the This Morning team three years after she began hosting Dancing On Ice in 2006, while Mr Schofield made his first appearance on the talk show four years earlier in 2002.
Since then, the presenter duo have kept viewers in hysterics with their antics on and off screen and have been very close for many years.
Putting Holly and Phil aside… there have been a whole host of squabbles between the breakfast TV duo, from Eamonn Holmes and Anthea Turner’s split to a dispute over Denise van Outen and Johnny Vaughan’s pay
Holly and Phil are far from the first morning television presenter duo to have fallen out.
In the mid-’90s, Eamonn Holmes and Anthea Turner’s smiles on GMTV turned out to be facades when their rift was exposed.
Holmes referred to her as “Princess Tippytoes” and it has been claimed he forced Ms Turner to leave the ITV daytime show in 1996.
And then there was Selina Scott and Frank Bough on BBC’s Breakfast Time in 1983. She says he undermined her by interrupting mid-question, insisting on having the last word, and told her repeatedly how well endowed he was.
In the mid-’90s, Eamonn Holmes and Anthea Turner’s smiles on GMTV turned out to be facades when their rift was exposed.
Selina Scott says Frank Bough undermined her by interrupting mid-question on BBC show Breakfast Time in 1983
When Ms Scott, now 72, didn’t respond positively, Bough claimed she must be frigid or a lesbian.
He said of her, “Even when she rides her bike, she keeps her knees together.” She left in 1986—and a year later, he left, too. Channel 4 Big Breakfast presenters Denise van Outen and Johnny Vaughan fought over pay. She gave up and they didn’t speak to each other for seven years.
Ms Van Outen said: “The relationship fell apart when we started renegotiating contracts.” “I’ve always felt that we work together as a team and that’s how it should be.”
Good Morning Britain stars Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid have often been said to have fallen out. She always looked at him with raised eyebrows and he claimed she was gentle with guests.