Phillip Schofield has reported his former TV best friend and co-presenter Holly Willoughby to ITV bosses after she refused to publicly back him, insiders have claimed.
Friends of the disgraced presenter say he felt Holly and a This Morning boss had staged a “very well-constructed coup” as the country witnessed his dramatic fall from grace.
Schofield, 62, left This Morning last May after months of speculation about a breakdown in her relationship with Willoughby. She then admitted to having an affair with a junior colleague and left ITV entirely.
The pair used to be best friends, and their families even took annual holidays together, but the bitter feud appears to have been rekindled and Schofield now refers to his once close friend as “the witch”.
Schofield is said to have told Ms Willoughby she “knocked him down” before he quit This Morning.
Phillip Schofield has reported his former TV best friend and co-presenter Holly Willoughby to ITV bosses after she refused to publicly back him, insiders have claimed.
Schofield, 62, left This Morning last May after months of speculation about a breakdown in her relationship with Willoughby. She then left ITV entirely after admitting to having an affair with a junior colleague.
He daily mirror reported that Schofield sent the accusation in a WhatsApp message and said he should have supported him publicly after their fight.
He then blamed her for not doing so, saying it led to his retirement after 21 years on the ITV show.
Schofield, who returned to TV last week on Channel 5’s Cast Away, had asked her for a public show of support, such as a statement or a photo together, in the hope it would stop accusations that they had fallen out.
After he sent the WhatsApp, Ms Willoughby allegedly responded that she didn’t know what was going on.
But Schofield’s friends say he was so angry he reported Willoughby to two senior ITV bosses. MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.
A source told The Mirror: “Phillip considered her a friend, his TV sister as he called her, and always supported her, even recommending she go to the jungle. Her lack of public support was a low blow in his eyes. .
Schofield and his management were also said to be deeply suspicious of his public relations team and unhappy that they were not correcting “false narratives that were running rampant”.
Another factor in their row was said to have been that Ms Willoughby was unaware of the full details of her pedophile brother Timothy’s crimes.
While she and ITV were aware of an upcoming trial last March, it is understood Schofield did not tell her the full extent of it.
One showbiz insider said: “You can see what Phil is doing, he’s angry and he’s taking advantage of his moment in the spotlight, slinging more mud while people are interested in him.”
‘Phil’s career ended because he lied, he quit ITV when he lied about having an affair with a much younger colleague. Saying this is Holly’s fault is just ridiculous. Talk about blaming the woman.
Willoughby’s friends point to the fact that she was left completely justified in her row with Schofield after it emerged that he had lied about his relationship with a younger colleague.
Willoughby said last year that he had been dishonest with her about the matter, as he had also been dishonest with ITV, his agent YMU and her family. He also lied to the Mail about it and admitted the truth in a statement he made to us last May.
“Phil is a self-confessed and proven liar, so the things he says should be taken with a pinch of salt,” said a source: “He lied to his colleagues, to his employers and to the media, let’s not forget.”
Friends of the disgraced presenter say he sent her the accusation in a WhatsApp message and said she should have supported him publicly after their fight.
Following rumors that they had fallen out last May, Schofield left Willoughby devastated when she made a public statement to discuss their friendship.
He said: ‘The last few weeks have not been easy for any of us. Like I said before, Holly is my rock.
‘We are best friends; As always, she is incredibly supportive on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone.
‘Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her.
Willoughby’s friends said at the time that her outburst had “surprised” her.
Schofield retired from This Morning days later, on 20 May.
He said in a statement: “I understand that ITV has decided that the current situation cannot continue and I want to do everything I can to protect the show I love.”
Elsewhere, the identity of Phil’s ‘three sh*ts’ has allegedly been revealed as Holly and former ITV bosses Martin Frizell (left) and Emma Gormley (right).
Sources have alleged that Phil now refers to his once close friend Holly as ‘the witch’ and reportedly uses a witch in a hat emoji when talking about her to friends.
“So I have agreed to leave This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward into a bright future.”
Although he left This Morning, he was due to present the Soap Awards a week later for ITV and network bosses had given him a new prime-time show.
He later resigned after admitting an affair with his colleague.
Elsewhere, the identity of Phil’s ‘three sh*ts’ has allegedly been revealed as Holly and his former ITV bosses Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley.
During Phil’s comeback show Cast Away, which aired on Channel 5 last week, the TV star took point to those ‘who betrayed him’ 16 months ago when he left ITV’s This Morning.
In the show, Schofield appears to blame his dramatic fall from grace on a trio of his former ITV colleagues, saying: “I think there’s only three s–ts (in showbiz).”
He noted that one was a “coward who never stepped forward at Queuegate,” while another “is a coward because they never stepped forward when I was being mistreated.”
He stated that the third “is just brand-oriented,” adding: “It’s not what you expect, it’s not what you think you’re going to get.”
During Phil’s comeback show Cast Away, which aired on Channel 5 last week, the TV star took aim at those “who betrayed him” 16 months ago when he left ITV’s This Morning.
the sun I have now reported that Phil believes Holly and her This Morning boss Martin staged an “organized coup” to sack him after the jailing of his pedophile brother Timothy.
Sources have alleged that Phil now refers to his once close friend Holly as ‘the witch’ and reportedly uses a witch emoji when talking about her to friends.
A friend said: ‘Phil believes Holly, Martin and Emma were the reason he was kicked out of ITV and believes he was treated unfairly.
Insiders also claim Phil begged Martin not to send him and Holly to see the Queen’s coffin for his ITV show, which backfired with the infamous ‘tail door’ reaction.
Holly’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline for comment. ITV has been contacted for comment.
It has also been claimed today that Holly allegedly “knew” about Schofield’s pedophile brother in the run-up to his court case.
Holly is understood to have “supported” her former colleague ahead of the trial, despite reports she was taken by surprise by her brother Timothy’s crimes.
Phillip’s brother, 54, was convicted in April 2023 of 11 sexual offenses involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child.
It has also been claimed today that Holly allegedly “knew” about Schofield’s pedophile brother in the run-up to his court case.
The mirror claims that Phillip notified Holly a month after Timothy’s arrest in 2021 and Holly was even praised for “really being supportive of what was going on.”
A friend told the publication: “There is a narrative, uncorrected by Holly’s team, that the news of her brother’s court case took her by surprise and she was furious with him for keeping her in the dark about it.”
“But that narrative couldn’t be further from the truth.”
But when he became “bad for her brand”, it is understood Holly quickly turned her back on the former This Morning star when Timothy went on trial in May.
A source told MailOnline that Holly is upset by these claims and insisted there is not a shred of truth to them.
the sun reported that Holly “started putting up a wall between them because she knew it might look bad on her name.”
A friend told the publication: ‘Phil feels like he was fired because of the bad press surrounding his brother. Everyone knew Tim, including Holly.
‘They had a make-up room backstage called ‘The Sanctuary’ on This Morning, where Phil first gathered trusted friends, including Holly, and told them, through tears, about his brother. Holly held his hand and was super nice.
‘But Phil feels he publicly distanced himself from it because it was bad for his brand. But she supported Phil and was disgusted by what her brother had done.
Holly’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
