When will Holly Willoughby return to This Morning?

Holly Willoughby is ready to let her return to the This Morning bench, despite calls for her to step down in the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal.

The presenter, 42, has taken a long break with her husband and three children after her co-star, 61, announced his departure from the show.

Holly, who has presented This Morning for 14 years, is reportedly determined to fight on to keep her spot on the benchdespite the chaos at the program, which has been extended Schofield’s revelations that he lied about his affair with a much younger one co-worker.

The relationship took place while Schofield was still married to wife Stephanie Lowe and before coming out as gay.

When will Holly return to the show?

A source told MailOnline that Holly will headline the show on Monday, June 5, as scheduled. She will be joined by Alison Hammond, according to a report.

Since Phillip’s resignation, the show has been plagued with “toxicity” accusations – which has also tarnished Willoughby’s standing.

However, a source told The Sun: ‘[Holly] made it clear that she was one of the people Phil lied to and that she has nothing to hide.

She returns to This Morning as scheduled on Monday and continues to be the professional she is.

“Holly was touched by Phil’s actions and it was very difficult. However, she is committed to This Morning and will continue to do her very best for them.” The Sun added that a number of co-hosts will work with Holly on rotation.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for ITV and Holly for comment.

What has happened so far?

Schofield’s revelation in the Daily Mail on Friday has ITV faced with a ‘desperate effort’ to save the beleaguered show, the mirror reported.

He was forced to admit in the statement that he had lied about his extramarital relationship to ITV, his lawyers, his talent agency and his co-star of 14 years – as well as his wife and two daughters.

Why is Holly fighting to keep her position as host?

Holly is now reportedly fighting to keep her presentation on This Morning amid several calls to go, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries and Eamonn Holmes.

This week, Holmes predicted that Holly will no longer be benched in ITV’s showpiece daytime show following Schofield’s explosive exit.

During an interview on Dan Wootton’s GB News show on Monday, Holmes said: ‘Not only does Phillip have to go, but Holly has to follow him out the door.

‘I don’t think you’ll ever see Holly Willoughby on the couch again.

“There are people who say that for her it’s not about what Phillip did, for her it’s not about protecting the young man involved or anything.

“There are people who are financial experts who will say she’s about brand protection.

“She’s got her business and she’s got advertising deals, which looks suspiciously like she’s trying to distance herself from Phillip to protect it.”

Holmes, who said he was ‘thrown out’ by ITV when he was dropped by This Morning two years ago, claimed there was a ‘total cover-up’ on This Morning about Schofield’s affair.

He told Wootton: “Those in authority had to know what was going on and they thought they were dodging a bullet with this, which they do, and they do all the time because when Schofield talks about those who speak out against him, which is me ,

“Amanda Holden and you (Dan Wootton), you will be involved in the toxicity that is going on. Dr. Ranj too, of course.’

What’s happening at ITV?

In the second part of his GB News interview which aired on Tuesday evening, Holmes lashed out at ITV bosses for double standards, accusing them of pandering to Schofield and Willoughby. He said, “What Holly and Phil want, they get.”

The TV presenter questioned why the duo were apparently allowed to advocate drinking when they pretended to be drunk on air after the National Television Awards in 2016, when he was banned for promoting chocolate as being ‘toxic’.

He told Wootton, “First of all, the National Television Awards, there’s an event that you have to understand that This Morning, under the guise of Phillip and Holly, is a very fake existence, FAF, I won’t tell you.” what those initials stand for.

“The first word is false. And the second word is like, you can let it be the third word, and then they can show up the next day to advocate the use of liquor,” he said.

And sit on a couch, “I’m so drunk, I haven’t been to bed or haven’t been to bed. I’m drunk or whatever, whatever”.

“And yet, ITV, this is once the legacy of Ant McPartlin, beautiful chap, beautiful chap, who was in a car accident and he was under the influence of drink, and yet they can promote that.”

In 2018, 47-year-old McPartlin was twice over the legal drink-driving limit when he took a breathalyzer test after the accident.

He was fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months.

Holmes continued, “But they come in the next day with their drunken act.” So it’s either an act, in which case it’s false, or they’re drunk, in which case it’s not allowed.’

The GB News presenter admitted he is bitter about his former colleagues signing lucrative advertising contracts as he felt his opportunities were being wasted.

Holmes said, “Ruth and I are not allowed to advertise chocolate in an ad because it is a poisonous product. It would be toxic to advertise chocolate, it’s toxic and you shouldn’t do that.

“And you just sit there and think, ‘No, mate. You’ve been having too much fun for too long.'”