Holly Willoughby breaks her silence amid Phillip Schofield’s This Morning drama

Holly Willoughby has broken her silence after it became known that the career of her This Morning co-star Phillip Schofield is being questioned.

The presenter, 42, plugged in her Marks And Spencer fashion line when she took to Instagram during the drama on Sunday.

She modeled a short-sleeved white dress in moody snaps.

Holly wrote in her caption, “When you think about evening plans, events, everyday wear and more, this gorgeous dress does it all.

“Dress – T691647 @marksandspencer @marksandspencerstyle #MyMarks #AD.”

Phillip broke his social media silence on Saturday night.

The TV presenter, 61, put on a brave face as he enjoyed drinks and dinner with his daughter Molly as they enjoyed some red wine.

It comes as The Mail on Sunday revealed that a battle is raging behind the scenes over the show’s future – specifically whether there should be a reshuffle of the presenting staff.

Some think it’s time for Phillip to take a step back after more than two decades of presenting the programme, having noticed that some of the million-plus viewers seem to have grown tired of him.

But when he met daughter Molly, 30, for dinner, he was looking good and enjoying time with his family.

He posted two photos with Molly, in one of which they burst out laughing.

The star captioned the top: “Bloopers” as he tagged her in the Instagram Story.

Holly will return to the This Morning couch alongside Phillip for the first time in over a month on Monday after a bout of shingles.

Due to her sick leave, she missed her co-star’s first day after his own three-week break due to his brother’s child offense convictions.

And as part of their strategy to listen to their audiences, ITV chefs monitor social media to see how fans react to their stars.

Not only is there a lot of negativity about Mr Schofield, but there are also petitions on the internet asking for the channel to get rid of him.

Their views have been compounded by the success of Alison Hammond, described by some as the ‘savior of This Morning’ after being promoted from show business interviewer to lead presenter 15 months ago.

It has launched an idea into the minds of ITV chefs – to bring a little ‘girl power’ into the show.

A source said: ‘It’s a case of both things colliding. Fans say they’re over Phil and they love Alison.”

There’s no denying that Mr Schofield has his loyalists on the channel – most of them in the upper echelons. He is also signed to the powerful YMU talent agency which is said to have significant power over ITV.

This Morning’s editor, Martin Frizell, is perhaps one of his staunchest supporters and is said to have “taken several bullets” for Mr Schofield in recent years.

But Mrs. Hammond is getting more and more powerful, especially as other channels try to steal her.

Last month she was revealed as the new host of The Great British Bake Off, something that ‘dazzled’ ITV chefs. Ms Willoughby, 42, is also said to ‘adore’ Ms Hammond, 48, as ITV bosses fall over themselves to show her love – despite some once dismissing her as the bubbly showbiz girl.

If Mr. Schofield were to leave, it would mean the end of ‘Holly and Phil’, one of television’s most famous collaborations – or ‘Phil and Holly’, which he would prefer. Some ITV staff were – perhaps wrongly – skeptical about Ms Willoughby’s illness last week, which they say was the ‘perfect timing’ for her not to have to sit next to Mr Schofield as he thanked fans for their support during his painful ordeal at his brother’s convictions.

However, sources close to Ms Willoughby insist she had struggled to shake off the illness until last Friday.

Meanwhile, she has forged a close friendship with Mrs. Hammond. Not only was she at her birthday party last month (Mr Schofield was notably absent), she has also introduced Ms Hammond to her ‘girl gang’ which includes former Spice Girl Emma Bunton.

Another issue facing This Morning bosses is the loss of Josie Gibson, 38, the hugely popular former Big Brother star who is a stand-in presenter, usually paired with Craig Doyle.

It’s clear she’s getting frustrated with not getting enough airtime and considering her options elsewhere.

Some of the show’s staff have also questioned why Mrs. Hammond did not replace Mrs. Willoughby while she was ill.

Last month, when Mr Schofield said goodbye while his brother Timothy was on trial, Ms Hammond joined Ms Willoughby for two days in what ITV bosses saw as a ‘massive triumph’.

Instead, Mr Schofield was flanked last week by 34-year-old Rochelle Humes, the singer-turned-presenter who he says was enough for Ms Willoughby.

He is believed to prefer Mrs. Humes, and may view her as more malleable, unlike his other outspoken female television partners, including Fern Britton and Amanda Holden.

And maybe Mrs. Hammond. Because maybe the truth is that there’s no room on the This Morning couch for either Alison or Phil – or even Phil and Alison.