Holly Willoughby wore white to show her ‘innocence’, Judi James reveals

Holly Willoughby deliberately wore white to convince ITV viewers of her ‘innocence’ as she returned to This Morning for the first time since Phillip Schofield’s shock departure, a body language expert claimed today.

The star, 42, was on screen with co-host Josie Gibson who acted as her “bodyguard” and “carer” as they held back tears and hugged each other, acting like “disaster survivors,” said Judi James.

Judi said Holly was trying to make herself the star of the show and keep This Morning away from the scandal, but said the presenter couldn’t hide her tension and anxiety.

Holly’s statement was “religious in tone,” Judi said, asking if viewers were okay after the turmoil of the past two weeks.

She said, “Could Holly’s intro speech send the This Morning show back to the world of saccharine sweetness after the continued dark dramas?” Dressed in white to promote innocence and sitting with Josie next to her as a protective caregiver would sit next to a disaster survivor, Holly immediately grabbed Josie’s hand before starting her speech.

Holly tried to be “perky” after her speech, but the tension was obvious, Judi said

Josie acted like Holly’s nanny, Judi said

A sigh and a gust of air from the mouth announced inner tension. Her “Are you OK?” for her audience the chance to share in the trauma was thrown away. According to her, we feel a bit like Holly, and she clearly wasn’t referring to her beach vacation.

Her breathing sounded stressed as she used words like “shaken” and “restless,” while she let out an inhalation of regret as she talked about the toll on “Phil’s mental health.”

She became almost religious in tone, speaking of “What unites us is a desire to heal” and “Strength in each other.”

Holly illustrated this deep emotional experience theme by placing both hands on her chest, over her heart to pour out love for “All you kind messages.” She held Josie’s hand again for support when the “Show we love” line reappeared.

There was a hint of a backflip in the cockiness of the show, but Josie went for the forced hug and it was the kind of hug that made them look like survivors, lasting longer than the normal one or two seconds. It was Holly who hit the “break”.

‘Then came the ultimate signal of business as usual. A big “Oh so…” from Josie and Holly smiled and shook her head to show resilience, with just one little thumb rub to suggest continued discomfort.

Holly Willoughby and co-host Josie Gibson hold hands today on This Morning

Holly Willoughby tells This Morning viewers she feels “shocked, distressed, abandoned and concerned” when she returned to the program after Phillip Schofield’s furore

Seated next to her temporary co-host Josie Gibson, Willoughby said, “Josie, thanks for being here. Right, take a deep breath’

Schofield apologized to Holly Willoughby, who hosted This Morning with him for 14 years, for lying about his secret relationship with his colleague (centre) and tarnishing her public image

Phillip Schofield was pictured hugging his mum Pat in Newquay, Cornwall shortly after being told ITV bosses wanted him to leave this morning

Willoughby first appeared on screen following the shock departure of her former co-host Schofield and his subsequent revelation of an affair with a younger male ITV employee.

Seated next to her temporary co-host Josie Gibson, Willoughby said, “Josie, thanks for being here. Right, take a deep breath.’

She turned to viewers and continued, “First off, are you okay? I hope so. It feels very strange to be here without Phil. And I imagine you’ve felt as I have—shocked, alarmed, disappointed, concerned for the well-being of people on all sides of what’s going on, and full of questions.”

During interviews last week, Schofield told The Sun and the BBC that Willoughby was unaware of the “ill-advised, but not illegal” affair and apologized for lying to her.

Dressed in a sleeveless white button-up dress by Reiss, Willoughby continued: “You, me and all of us on This Morning gave our love and support to someone who wasn’t telling the truth, who was acting in a way they thought they had. done. to resign from ITV and step down from 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 all now is a desire to heal, for the health and well-being of all.”

Schofield has spoken about the toll the scandal’s effects have had on his mental health, telling The Sun that it has had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind and that he is currently improving ‘hour after hour’.

In a statement she herself wrote, Willoughby thanked viewers for their support and 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 . together.

“And from the bottom of my heart, I can just thank you for all your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning.

“Myself, Josie, Dermot (O’Leary), Alison (Hammond), Craig (Doyle) and everyone who works on this show will continue to work hard every day to bring you that show we love. ‘

Former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes and the show’s former family doctor, Dr. Ranj Singh, have both separately raised allegations about the behind-the-scenes culture at the program in the wake of Schofield’s departure.

ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall was summoned to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to protection and complaints handling following Schofield’s departure.