Leigh Francis has revealed he hasn’t seen his former BFF Holly Willoughby since his birthday party in April.
The pair, who formed a close friendship during Holly’s 12-year stint on ITV2’s Celebrity Juice, have not met for the past five months in what has been a turbulent time for the This Morning star.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Leigh, who is best known for his alter ego Keith Lemon, said he contacted both Holly, 42, and Phillip Schofield, 61, as the This Morning drama unfolded.
Phil quit presenting the daytime show after 21 years when he admitted he had repeatedly lied to bosses about an affair with a runner.
It left his friendship with Holly in tatters, with the host recently unfollowing his ex-BFF on Instagram.
‘I haven’t seen her since the TV drama’: Leigh Francis has revealed he hasn’t seen his former BFF Holly Willoughby since his birthday party in April
Thoughtful: Leigh said he contacted both Holly, 42, and Phillip Schofield, 61, as the This Morning drama unfolded
Leigh told MailOnline: ‘The last time I saw Holly was on my birthday. I haven’t seen her since all that TV drama.
‘April was the last time I saw her in real life. During all the TV drama, I’m texting people and asking, ‘Are you okay?’.”
‘I approached everyone.’
Following Phil’s departure in May, This Morning faced an uncertain future, with questions raised over whether Holly would continue to host after the scandal.
However, the presenter returned to the front of the show and played her part in the investigation, insisting she knew nothing about Phillip’s affair, while her friends claimed she had ‘nothing to hide’.
Leigh opened up about why he thought his girlfriend Holly decided to stay on in the wake of the backlash.
He joked: ‘They pay well, don’t they?’ before adding, “I guess she still enjoys it, so I guess you should leave a show if you don’t enjoy it anymore.”
Leigh also gave an insight into his friendship with Fearne Cotton, who was team captain on his show Celebrity Juice from 2008 – 2018.
He said: ‘We mostly talk about clothes, but every now and then she just texts me and says, ‘How are you?’ She’s very busy with her Happy Place festival, which I’ve never been to.”
Let’s party! Holly attended Leigh’s birthday in April dressed as Barbie with her husband Dan Baldwin
Friends: The pair, who formed a close friendship during Holly’s 12-year stint on ITV2’s Celebrity Juice, have not met for the past five months (pictured with Fearne Cotton)
This Morning suffered a blow when it lost its Daytime TV gong to the BBC’s Repair Shop at the NTAs earlier this month, with Holly also missing out on a nomination in the Best Presenter category.
But despite all this, the presenter is said to be in talks for a string of primetime shows and is ‘not going anywhere’ from This Morning.
A source told The Mirror: ‘Holly loves This Morning, sees her future very much on the couch and isn’t going anywhere.
“But she is always keen to listen to new ideas and opportunities, especially in primetime, to coexist with her day-to-day role.”
The source added that Holly has ‘completely moved on’ from Phillip’s scandal, which saw him leave ITV after admitting he had an affair with a younger colleague from This Morning.
The source continued: ‘It has been a difficult time but Holly has done nothing wrong and she has always been very open and honest. In fact, the fallout has only made her mentally stronger, in many ways.”
Holly addressed the toxic culture claims that have engulfed the show on the red carpet at the NTAs.
She said: “We are very blessed, we have a great team of people, we really do.
‘I know it’s been talked about a lot and for me personally I don’t want to speak for other people, it’s a world I don’t recognise.
“For me, I look around and see the team getting ready and giving it their all. I just want to come to work and have more of that.”