Phillip Schofield breaks his social media silence after quitting

Phillip Schofield has returned to social media after seemingly ‘quitting’ amid his ongoing feud with his This Morning co-presenter Holly Willoughby.

The TV presenter, 61, was notably absent from the Prince’s Trust Awards on Tuesday, opting instead to share photos from the London Wine Fair, hosted at Kensington Olympia, a stone’s throw from Television Center where This Morning being filmed.

Phillip has been conspicuously quiet on his social media over the past week in an attempt to apparently “challenge it” by putting up a united front with Holly.

But hours after reports of his silence emerged, Phillip returned with two smiling photos from the wine event, where he appeared to be filming a project.

Phillip told his followers he talked about “all about sustainable wine” at the event with a company called When In Rome.

Phillip continued to put on a defiant performance as he showed off a beaming smile in the photos shared on his Instagram Stories on Tuesday afternoon.

Around the same time, Holly, 42, was spotted share a supportive hug with Kate Garraway at The Prince’s Trust Awards, but Phillip was nowhere to be seen.

According to his website: ‘Outside of his work, Phillip is an ambassador for the charity The Prince’s Trust, which spends time supporting vulnerable young people in the UK.’

Holly was all smiles as she posed for happy snaps for the star-studded event at London’s Theater Royal Drury Lane.

But her co-host and longtime friend Phillip – who is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust – was nowhere to be seen amid their reported ‘feud’.

Despite the drama, Holly seemed unfazed as she smiled and posed for stunning photos on the red carpet solo.

She then stopped to give her a supportive hug ITV co-star Kate, 56, who flashed a warm smile as she wrapped her arms tightly around Holly.

It was previously reported that Phillip had left social media after This Morning suffered a ratings drop amid his feud with Holly.

The hosting duo returned to the show on Monday after Phil released an extraordinary statement to quell speculation, but they didn’t refer to their ongoing feud as front-page news.

He’s even disabled comments on his recent posts to avoid being questioned about the swirling rumors of tension between him and Holly.

Phil’s last upload was on May 7, when he shared a video while on a trip to Paris.

ITV would be crisis talks while Holly and Phil failed to deal with their fallout for a second day on the air.

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.

Viewers watching today’s episode described the atmosphere as “awkward,” with one tweeting: “Haven’t seen the show in months and thought I’d watch today’s show, but obviously the collaboration is tense is.’

Insiders have described Phil as “increasingly reclusive” on set, with one telling The mirror: ‘He seems down and spends a lot of time in his dressing room. We’re worried about him.’

Meanwhile, Holly was in a reflective mood in her latest Monday newsletter to subscribers of her wellness brand Wylde Moon, where she revealed she’d gotten some advice from a friend.

“The older I get, the more I realize how daunting the concept of the passage of time can be,” she mused. ‘I can always remember my grandma saying things like ‘wait until you get to my age…then it really starts to fly by’ – and now I really get it.

“If this resonates with you, I’d like to share with you some advice that one of my friends gave me when we were discussing this very subject.

“She told me that instead of worrying about how fast things are going, we should look at things differently and realize that with every moment (big or small) that passes, we are creating a future full of joy, love and endless possibilities.’

Senior figures at ITV called a crisis meeting on Monday following a wave of negative social media feedback about the show.

After seeing the backlash on Twitter, with viewers watching both Holly and Phillip, ITV bosses are pondering what to do next.

A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Social media is used as a barometer to see what the public thinks. Those responsible were under no illusions that it was a total disaster.

It was painful for the This Morning team to work on it and just as painful for them to watch.

‘There was a meeting afterwards to discuss how things were going, that had been going on for a while. Honestly, everyone was so relieved it was over, but even if the show goes on for a while, it’s going to be a huge headache.”

Sources close to the couple insist the program will continue to run smoothly, despite the behind-the-scenes feud.

Broadcaster bosses were reportedly furious after Phil broke his silence on Thursday night with a shocking statement about the spat with his co-presenter of 14 years admitting that ‘the past few weeks have not been easy for us’.

Despite this, Phil believes he can weather the ongoing storm, but even those closest to him have said it has to do with whether the public believes the pair still have on-screen chemistry.

Sources at the broadcaster described the situation as a “dilemma” for the bosses, as both former friends were determined to get their way.

Phil has consulted lawyers about the situation, which has been spiraling out of control for months.