Holly and Phillip are reportedly no longer speaking (Image: Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images)
has reportedly accused of failing to support him as his career took a nosedive, allegedly telling her: “You brought me down.”
The TV icon is said to have lashed out at Holly through just a day before the news of his hit the headlines. A source revealed: “As well as saying she had brought him down, he said he couldn’t believe his TV sister would do this to him.”
Schofield apparently held Holly responsible for not defending him publicly amid rumours of a rift following his brother’s legal issues in May 2023. He is believed to have sought a public display of solidarity from Holly, like a joint statement or a photo together, to quell media speculation about a falling out between the two television favourites. However, his request was met with silence, reports .
According to the insider, Schofield felt that Holly’s lack of public support sealed his fate on the show as audiences started doubting their once-beloved on-screen rapport. “He feels it was a simple gesture that might have saved his job and her refusal to do so effectively finished him off. Believing in the TV chemistry was the bedrock of the This Morning format,” the source stated.
Holly is thought to have responded to Schofield’s plea by expressing her reluctance to “feed the narrative” and mentioning that advised against a public statement.
Phillip Schofield left This Morning after an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair (Image: Getty Images)
Following the WhatsApp exchange, Holly reportedly insisted she was unaware of the unfolding situation, as per the source. However, Schofield’s frustration reportedly escalated to the point where he reached out to two high-ranking ITV officials to voice his grievances about her, the source claims.
The presenter expressed feelings of betrayal as if Holly Willoughby and a This Morning executive had executed a “very well constructed coup” during the disintegration of his television career. An insider shared: “Phillip considered her a friend, his TV sister as he called her, and always backed her, even recommending her to do the jungle. Her lack of public support was a low blow in his eyes.”
Accusations against Schofield’s management and frustration with her PR team surfaced, accusing them of ignoring “false narratives running riot.”
Misinformation about Willoughby being unaware of Schofield’s brother’s legal issues proliferated at the time; however, sources insist Holly was actually made aware by Schofield one month post-arrest in 2021. He disclosed his assistance to police efforts, and according to the confidant, she was “really supportive of what he was going through.”
Schofields brother, aged 54, faced conviction on 11 child sex offences spanning October 2016 to October 2019, which included instances of sexual activity with a minor.
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The ITV presenters worked on This Morning together (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Further narration from the source disputed emerging stories, as they said: “There is a narrative – uncorrected by Holly’s team – that she was blindsided by news of his brother’s court case and was furious with him for keeping her in the dark about it. But that narrative couldn’t be further from the truth.”
There were also rumours left unchecked by Holly’s representatives implying her refusal to co-host alongside him. Schofield revealed in May 2023 that he had “agreed to step down ” from his long-standing role on the show, doing so to “protect the show that I love.”
A close source remarked: “In reality he was forced out…and was absolutely devastated by what happened.”
Schofield found himself answering increasingly probing questions concerning his relationship with a showrunner, while consistently denying any misconduct. However, shortly after his dismissal, Schofield came clean about the affair, which ultimately destroyed his ITV career.
Speaking candidly at the time, he acknowledged: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning….that relationship was unwise but not illegal. It is now over.”
A friend commented: “He blew things up himself but at the end of the day he promised the other person involved that he wouldn’t say anything in order to keep his name out of the papers, which is what they wanted.”
“The claim by ITV that the deceit was the reason for his sacking is misleading. He was indeed forced out of This Morning. This wasn’t a voluntary resignation, and his true feelings were apparent.”
On the very same day he confessed to the illicit relationship, Schofield parted ways with YMU, his agency for 35 years. At the time, YMU stressed that “honesty and integrity” are their “core values”, asserting that “talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust.”
The friend revealed the brutal nature of his departure and the loss of his “support network of 35 years” commenting, “YMU insisted that he deliver a full mea culpa with the line that he would never work in TV again, which Phil eventually took out. He didn’t write the statement instead, and afterwards no-one was allowed to talk to him. He felt utterly rudderless.”
Health concerns led him to rebuff an independent inquiry led by Jane Mulcahy KC into the affair. In an attempt to “set the record straight on a few things,” he appeared on the Channel 5 show Castaway last week, an ally reports. During the show, he described how the building “became hostile to me” and seemed to pointedly criticise his former co-workers from This Morning.
Phil recently bashed his former co-stars on his new show Cast Away (Image: Getty)
The contact also recalled Schofield’s reaction to their assumption about paying tribute to the Queen at Westminster Hall during the incident later dubbed “queuegate”, saying: “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.”
Tensions between him and Holly started to show in 2022 following allegations that they had skipped the queue to honour the late Queen. Regarding the controversial decision to air that moment, the friend stated, “He made it quite clear in no uncertain terms that it was a bad idea and would be interpreted the wrong way,” adding further insight into the internal disputes.
The friend stood up for Schofield’s decision to take his grievances to national TV, insisting he had every right to do so. “So much Phillip needed to get off his chest on Cast Away appears to be justified and was not the ‘poor me’ it was accused of,” they remarked.
“He couldn’t have been more remorseful of his mistake and addressed that numerous times, but did he deserve that trip under the bus? He has been pleased by the reaction and just wants people to make their own minds up by watching all three episodes.”