Holly Willoughby has vowed never to comment publicly on the Phillip Schofield scandal that has once again engulfed ITV as insiders claim she is still ‘angry’ with her former co-host.
The 42-year-old distanced herself from her former best friend during a “very strategic” return to This Morning bank on Monday, after being kicked off the program when he admitted to lying about his relationship with a much younger male colleague.
Holly told viewers she was left “shocked, disappointed and concerned” and only mentioned Schofield by name once when she said it was “very strange to be here without Phil” – for the rest of her address she referred to him in instead ‘someone’ and ‘she’.
Millions of people have since watched the segment on social media, though some reacted lukewarmly after complaining that it came across as “melodramatic, scripted and soulless.”
However, those looking for more screen time to deal with the scandal may be disappointed after sources claimed the mother-of-three has no plans to revisit the topic publicly.
Holly Willoughby, pictured here on This Morning on Monday, distanced herself from her former co-presenter Phillip Schofield in a ‘very strategic’ speech
The pair, who were best friends, have publicly fallen out after Phillip lied to Holly about an affair with a younger male colleague on the show
“This is the only time Holly will ever talk about Phil and what happened,” a source told me The sun.
She still feels incredibly angry and upset by his actions and is still trying to get her head around it.
“It took a lot of effort for Holly to calm herself down and talk about what happened in the last few weeks.
“But people who expect her to sit down and pour her heart out are going to be waiting a long time.
Holly is upset that Phil, who she thought was a very good friend, lied to her about his affair.
“She’s angry and it will take her a long time to process it.”
Holly appeared to be on the verge of tears during parts of her speech, though some people watching at home were unimpressed.
Unconvinced viewers wrote on Twitter: “Absolutely shocking statement. The only result is to put Phil down even more, poor Holly, poor me. Also show how much she despises him and doesn’t care.’
Another added: “Terrible news. I’m ready. Switched over and won’t look,” while a third said, “Amazing how she’s emotional one minute and giggling the next… like the cat that got the cream.”
Another viewer tweeted, “My only comment on this. Scripted and soulless,” and someone added, “She did a good job of keeping it together, though the language was a little melodramatic.”
However, other social media users praised the star, writing, “Very appropriate. Holly is NOT responsible for Phil. No colleague is responsible for what another colleague does or does not do, no matter how close the working relationship is.’
Another added: “Now put it to rest, let the people who have to deal with it do that.” Of course the script is that she will know what to say. Phil is the one who is wrong here. I love Josie, she’s a breath of fresh air! Good luck girls.’
A third wrote: “I feel sorry for Holly and anyone Phil lied about.”
Holly chose a £188 button-up cream dress from high street shop Reiss to make sure the tone was severe enough, without being too gloomy at the moment.
Holly is hugged by Josie Gibson, with whom she presents the program after Phillip’s departure
Prior to the speech, insiders had called it the hardest day of Holly’s career, and after the cameras stopped rolling, she was hugged by her colleagues in a show of support.
She had started by asking viewers if they were “OK,” before noting that it “felt really strange sitting here without Phil.”
Holly continued, “I imagine you’ve felt as I have—shocked, distressed, disappointed, concerned for the well-being of people on all sides of what’s going on, and full of questions.
“You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who wasn’t telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they should resign from ITV and quit a career they loved. . That’s a lot to process.
And it’s just as hard to see the toll it takes on their own mental health. I think what unites us now is a desire to heal for the health and well-being of all.”
Ms Willoughby, who presented the program with Big Brother 2010 winner Josie Gibson, then told viewers that This Morning was under fire heading into a ‘new chapter’ – one without Schofield.
She said, “I hope that as we begin this new chapter and return to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.”
And, from my heart, I can just thank you for all your kind messages. And thank you for being here this morning.
“Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and everyone who works on this show will continue to work hard every day to bring you this show we love.”
Mrs Willoughby’s words received a mixed reception from viewers, with some criticizing her for being too ‘staged’.
But sources close to her say she was “absolutely relieved” that it was over.
Holly Willoughby aged how she was left ‘shocked, distressed, abandoned and concerned’ by the scandal that has engulfed the ITV program and its former presenter Phillip Schofield
And the Mail can reveal that each word was studied and changed several times before a final draft was finally approved by ITV bosses this morning, not long before the show aired.
Ms Willoughby had been discussing how to deal with it with her family during their holiday in the sun in Portugal last week. Then she ran it through her publicist, Laura Sinclair.
The host’s TV production guru, Dan Baldwin, also helped.
After that, however, it was left to the ITV bosses and Ms Willoughby to decide how often Schofield was mentioned.
A belated decision was made to include him, but not in the discussion of the scandal.
A source said: ‘Holly knew she had to put viewers at the forefront of it all, the show is in deep trouble and she sees it as her part to save it.
So she definitely wanted to get it right personally, which meant going through a lot of concepts.
In the end, they decided to call Phil fleeting. In addition to proper coverage for the audience watching at home, the way the statement was reported by all forms of the media was also important.
“The last thing they wanted was a headline Phil shunned.”
After the show, Ms. Willoughby spoke to her colleagues and senior staff, including editor Martin Frizell, before returning home to see her three children.
The calm before the storm: Phillip and Holly on the couch of ITV’s This Morning last month, on May 11
Friends of the star say she “breathed a huge sigh of relief” when she came off the air in what they say was one of the toughest days of her career.
“Even when Holly finished the statement, she still had over two hours of live television to do that, yes, she was so glad she came through,” said one.
“There were hugs as everyone vowed to move forward together.”
Mrs Willoughby will be flanked again tomorrow by Mrs Gibson, 38, then Craig Doyle for Wednesday and Thursday.
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary return for Friday’s episode.