Josie Gibson names a pig after Holly Willoughby… amid Phillip Schofield ‘feud’
This Morning stars Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson have jokingly targeted Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield amid rumors of a feud between the pair.
Holly, 42, and Phillip, 61, have been hit by reports they’re ‘not as close as they once were’ and now barely talks off-camera as their friendship has cooled.
Amid the ongoing feud claims, their This Morning co-stars Alison, 48, and Josie, 38, both made references to the presenters during Friday’s episode.
Alison spoke about the possibility that AI technology could replace her co-stars and herself as presenters in the future as huge strides are made in the field.
In a discussion about technology, she was referring to Holly and Phillip when she said: “One day we may be replaced! Remember when Holly and Phil had that robot with that woman, it was amazing, I couldn’t believe it.
Uncomfortable! This Morning stars Alison Hammond (pictured with Dermot O’Leary) and Josie Gibson jokingly have a ‘feud’ between Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield
Naming: Josie made a light-hearted joke to Holly when she cheekily named a pig after her co-star when she visited a wildlife sanctuary
‘Presenters could perhaps be replaced by AI. It’s kind of like cloning in a way, and you don’t really have to be there.’
Her comments come after leading bookmakers revealed the likelihood of both Holly and Phillip being replaced by other stars on the chat show amid their ‘feud’.
Elsewhere on This Morning, Josie also made a light-hearted joke to Holly when she cheekily named a pig after her co-star when she visited a nature reserve in Wales.
Feeding the animal while “walking pigs” for the segment, Josie said, “This is Holly, and I nicknamed her Holly Squillaby.”
Josie later added, ‘Come on Holly Squillaby into the river, let’s cool off. I think Holly fell in love with me just like the other Holly.’
It comes after a series of leading bookies revealed the odds of both Holly and Phillip being replaced on This Morning.
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power revealed the odds of Phillip leaving This Morning by placing him at 2/1, while they placed his co-host Holly at 4/1.
Meanwhile, William Hill had a 4/1 chance that Holly could leave This Morning before June, which also gave her a 6/1 chance that she could take a new job at Loose Women.
Nickname: Josie’s comments came as she went ‘pig walking’ in Wales for a segment on the ITV chat show
Replacement: Meanwhile, Alison spoke about the possibility that AI technology could replace her and her co-stars as actual presenters in the future as huge strides are made
She is on 10/1 to land hosting duties on Strictly Come Dancing and the bookmaker also predicted a 20/1 chance for her to present I’m A Celebrity.
William Hill spokesman Lee Phelps said: ‘There seems to be plenty to suggest Holly Willoughby’s time on This Morning is coming to an end and we’re offering 4/1 that she leave her role by the end of the month.
“Holly will certainly be popular when she leaves and we think Love Island and Loose Women (both 6/1) and Strictly (10/1) will be on the agenda.”
Elsewhere, Holly and Phillip were reportedly taking a week-long break from This Morning amid rumors of their ongoing feud.
The presenting duo will be spending some time apart as they are reportedly leaving the ITV show in just over a week.
They both plan to take a week off for hiatus before returning to the program on Monday, June 5, according to The sun.
It follows the usual practice of the two presenters being given time off during the school holidays as they also normally take a long break during the summer.
The duo have failed to deal with their breakup since returning to This Morning, but rumor has it Phil will face the ax if they can’t reverse a ratings drop.
It comes after 170,000 fewer viewers watched Monday’s episode compared to the week before, amid claims the pair seemed ‘uncomfortable’.
Figures showed that Monday’s episode was watched by an average of 726,720 people, compared to 894,000 on the same day last week.
Peak viewership was also significantly down to 914,000 compared to 1.058 million on May 8.
The duo, on the other hand, attracted 1.3 million viewers for their Christmas show in 2022 and averaged 1.4 million in the first four weeks of 2021.
Concerns over the future of the breakfast program have led to speculation of an impending staff shake-up, with insiders claiming that Phil could be forced out along with top producer Martin Frizell.
A source told The Sun: ‘This Morning is gearing up for some seismic changes this summer – Phil is on the list as the first big name for the chop when his contract expires this summer. Seeing the response from This Morning viewers was a wake-up call.”
But PR expert Mark Borkowski downplayed the likelihood of imminent staff moves, saying ITV would try to ‘ride out of the cyclone’.
Feud: Her comments come after leading bookmakers revealed the likelihood of both Holly and Phillip being replaced by other stars on the chat show amid their ‘feud’
He told MailOnline: ‘I think ITV and program executives will indeed take a long look at the presenters.
“Maybe it’s a time to change and regenerate with two fresh faces. But don’t write obituaries just yet.
‘Viewing figures fluctuate and I’m sure bosses will look at aggregates long term. It’s about looking at all options and not bowing to social media spikes.”
Senior figures at ITV called a crisis meeting following a flurry of negative feedback on social media about Monday’s show.