Holly Willoughby ‘never wants to speak to Phillip Schofield again’ after hearing he calls her ‘The Witch’ and blamed her for his ITV downfall – with husband Dan Baldwin also ‘furious’

Holly Willoughby never wants to speak to Phillip Schofield again after hearing him call her ‘The Witch’.

The presenter, 43, has ruled out any reconciliation with her former best friend, 62, who reportedly messaged her on WhatsApp the day before news of his This Morning ax went public, claiming she had ‘thrown him over’.

Tensions between the pair reached further heights when Phil boldly declared there were ‘three s**ts’ at ITV on his Channel 5 show Cast Away last week.

Phil has also cut more ties within the TV industry as Holly’s husband Dan Baldwin, co-owner of production company Hungry Bear, responsible for shows such as Gladiators and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, is ‘furious’ with Phil.

A source told MailOnline: ‘Holly and Phil’s friendship is definitely over, there is no way she will talk to him again after this.

‘Holly’s husband, TV producer Dan, is also furious about Phil’s behavior towards her.

‘From rumors of him calling her ‘the Witch’ in messages with friends to his cutting joke about the ‘three s***s in showbiz’ on his Channel 5 show Cast Away, Dan has really had enough.’

MailOnline has contacted Holly’s representatives for comment.

Phillip left This Morning last May after months of speculation about a rift in his relationship with Holly.

He then admitted to having an affair with a junior colleague and left ITV altogether.

The pair used to be best friends and their families even went on annual holidays, but the bitter feud appears to have flared up again as Phillip calls his once good friend ‘the witch’.

Phillip allegedly told Holly she was ‘putting him down’ before resigning from This Morning.

The Daily mirror reported that Schofield sent the accusation in a WhatsApp message, saying she should have publicly supported him after their argument.

He then blamed her for not doing so, saying it then prompted him to resign after 21 years on the ITV show.

Phillip, who made a TV comeback on Channel 5’s Cast Away last week, had asked her for a public statement of support, such as a statement or a photo together, in the hope it would quell claims they were feuding.

After he sent the WhatsApp, Holly reportedly replied saying she was in the dark about what was going on.

But friends of Phillip say he was so upset he reported Holly to two senior ITV bosses. MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.

A source told The Mirror: ‘Phillip considered her a friend, his TV sister as he called her, and always supported her, even advising her to go into the jungle. Her lack of public support was a low blow in his eyes.”

Phillip and his management were also said to be highly suspicious of her PR team and unhappy that they did not correct “untrue stories that were running amok.”

Another factor in their feud is said to be that Holly was unaware of the full details of his pedophile brother Timothy’s crimes.

Phillip’s 54-year-old brother was convicted in April 2023 of 11 sex offenses involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two for sexual activity with a child.

Although she and ITV were aware of an impending lawsuit last March, it is believed Schofield did not tell her the full extent of it.

A show business insider said: ‘You can see what Phil is doing, he’s angry and he’s taking his moment in the spotlight and slinging more mud while people are interested in him.

‘Phil’s career ended because he lied. He resigned from ITV when he lied about an affair with a much younger colleague. To say this is Holly’s fault is just ridiculous. Talk about the woman’s fault.’

Holly’s friends insist she was completely vindicated for her row with Schofield after it emerged he had lied about his relationship with a younger colleague.

Holly said last year that he had been dishonest with her about the affair, just as he had been with ITV, his agent YMU and his family. He also lied to the Mail about it and admitted the truth in a statement to us last May.

“Phil is a self-confessed and proven liar so the things he says should be taken with a pinch of salt,” a source said: “He lied to his colleagues, his employers and the media, let’s not forget that.”

After rumors they had fallen out last May, Phillip left Holly devastated when he made a public statement to discuss their friendship.

He said: “The last few weeks have not been easy for either of us. As I’ve said before, Holly is my rock.

‘We are the best of friends – as always she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone.

‘Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her.’

Friends of Holly said at the time that she was ‘blindsided’ by his outburst.

Phillip pulled out of This Morning days later on May 20.

He said in a statement: ‘I understand that ITV has decided that the current situation cannot continue, and I want to do what I can to protect the show I love.

‘So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect in the hope that the show can have a bright future.’

While he stepped down from This Morning, he would host the Soap Awards for ITV a week later and the network’s bosses had given him a new prime time show.

He later quit after admitting an affair with his colleague.

Elsewhere, the identities of Phil’s ‘three s**ts’ are said to have been revealed as Holly and his former ITV bosses Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley.

During Phil’s comeback show Cast Away, which aired on Channel 5 last week, the TV star recorded focuses on those ‘who betrayed him 16 months ago when he quit ITV’s This Morning.

In the programme, Schofield appears to blame his dramatic fall from grace on a trio of his former ITV colleagues, saying: ‘I think there’s only three s**ts [of showbiz].’

He pointed out that one was a ‘coward who never stood up at Queuegate’, while another ‘is a coward because she never stood up when I was being abused’.

He claimed the third is “just brand-centric,” adding, “Not what you expect, not what you think you get.”

The Sun has now reported that Phil believes Holly and their This Morning boss Martin staged an ‘organized coup’ to get him sacked following the jailing of his pedophile brother Timothy.

Sources claim Phil calls his once close friend Holly ‘the witch’ and reportedly uses a witch emoji when discussing her with friends.

A friend said: ‘Phil believes Holly, Martin and Emma were the reason he was banned from ITV and he thinks they treated him unfairly.

The insiders also claim that Phil begged Martin not to send him and Holly to the Queen’s coffin for their ITV show, which backfired with the infamous ‘queue-gate’ response.

Representatives for Holly declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline for comment. ITV has been contacted for comment.