Holly Willoughby’s return date to This Morning ‘confirmed’ after Phillip Schofield’s sudden exit

Holly Willoughby’s This Morning co-star has reportedly confirmed when the presenter will return to the show following Phillip Schofield’s shock departure.

The presenter, 42, is currently taking an early half term break from the daytime programme after Phillip, 61, made his departure last week amid rumors of a feud between the pair.

When Holly returns, she will present This Morning alongside other members of the ITV family, while Phil continues with other primetime projects.

The show’s resident royal pundit Camilla Tominey has now confirmed that Holly will be back on the couch on June 5, according to the Mirror.

It comes after it was announced that Holly would not be returning to This Morning this week after Phillip left the show.

Time off: The presenter, 42, is currently taking an early half-term break from the daytime program after Phillip, 61, made his departure last week amid rumors of a feud between the pair

The duo’s reign as the star couple of the ITV program came to an end on Saturday when Phil stepped down with immediate effect.

The TV presenter quit the program after reports of a feud with his co-host Holly, with Thursday 18 May being his last ever show.

It was announced that Holly would be taking a break – although her time off is scheduled in advance.

Originally, the duo were supposed to have a week off because of the holidays so Holly could spend time with her kids.

The planned break was normal for the former best friends – and had nothing to do with their recent “feud.”

Phillip Schofield missed some crucial words in his final sign-off of This Morning on Thursday – suggesting the veteran presenter already knew it would be his final farewell following his sensational departure from the show earlier today.

While Holly gave the viewers the usual cheerful ‘See you Monday!’ gave, Phil looked bouncy when he simply said, “Bye!”

He acknowledged today that This Morning “has become the story” after 10 days of intense media scrutiny amid reports of an altercation between the show’s two hosts.

Return: Camilla Tominey, the show’s resident royal pundit, has now confirmed that Holly will return to the bench on June 5, according to the Mirror (LR: Phillip Schofield, Holly, Gyles Brandreth and Camilla pictured this month)

In a statement released Saturday, Phillip said: ‘I’ve always taken pride in writing fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story.

“During my career in TV – including the very difficult past few days – I have always tried my best to be honorable and kind.

“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’ve agreed to step down from This Morning effective immediately, in hopes that the show has a bright future.

“I want to thank everyone who has supported me – especially the wonderful viewers of This Morning – and I’ll see you all next month at the Soap Awards.”

After his announcement, Holly said: ‘It’s been over 13 amazing years presenting This Morning with Phil and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.’

It’s because This Morning host Craig Doyle was praised by fans after replacing Dermot O’Leary on Wednesday’s episode of the show.

The star, 52, took over from Dermot as he celebrated his 50th birthday and headlined the show with Alison Hammond. He will also co-host Thursday’s episode.

Regular hosts on Friday were Alison and Dermot called up following Phillip’s shock departure from the program, after revealing over the weekend that he was stepping down after 21 years on the iconic bench.

While Phillip’s official replacement has yet to be announced, viewers have been clamoring for Craig to take the role permanently.

The Irish presenter is best known as a presenter for BT Sport, where he covers Rugby Union and MotoGP.

He made his debut on This Morning last year while taking Dermot’s place alongside Josie Gibson.

Things got off to an awkward start on Wednesday’s show when he failed to realize the show had returned from a commercial break and confessed to viewers, “I forgot we were on television!” We were all chatting and then the music started!’

New host? It comes after This Morning presenter Craig Doyle was praised by fans after replacing Dermot O’Leary on Wednesday’s episode of the show

Despite the blunder, fans were quick to praise Craig, tweeting, “Craig and Alison are a great pairing! I like its energy and natural look.’;

‘Love Craig Doyle’s relaxed and dry sense of humor on @ThisMorning, he also asks the guests sensible questions, he’s so laid back, even Alison has calmed down a bit. He definitely qualifies for the regular role (with Josie) #thismorning’;

‘Craig Doyle would be an excellent replacement, he has years of experience presenting #ThisMorning’; No one, absolutely no one, is a better TV partner for Holly than Craig Doyle. If you can’t see it, there’s something wrong with you #this morning #HollyWilloughby.”

While viewers praised his “natural” demeanor, body language expert Darren Stanton revealed that Craig was “nervous,” forcing Alison to play the “leader” role.