Holly Willoughby has extended a hand to her former This Morning colleagues, expressing gratitude amidst the ongoing Phillip Schofield controversy.
The 43-year-old found herself in the middle of a scandal that broke out in May last year when her ex-friend Phillip was dismissed from the ITV daytime show due to an inappropriate relationship with a much younger colleague.
Holly and Phil’s friendship came to an abrupt end when the mother-of-three disclosed that he had deceived her and ITV bosses about the affair, leading to a fallout between the two.
Many of Phil’s previous This Morning co-workers have kept their distance from the seasoned TV host, but recently some celebrities, including Joanna Lumley, reportedly offered him support, particularly when his comeback show Cast Away premiered on Channel 5.
While Holly has maintained her distance from Phil and avoided getting involved in the ongoing dispute surrounding the former friends, she reached out to her ex-This Morning colleagues after her sudden departure from the ITV daytime show in October last year. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she shared a picture of husband-and-wife team John Torode and Lisa Faulkner’s new cookbook, John and Lisa’s Kitchen.
Holly received an early copy of the new book and proudly displayed it in her kitchen, suggesting a reconciliation with her former This Morning colleagues, reports the Mirror.
Holly Willoughby’s departure from This Morning in October last year was sudden, ending a 14-year stint and leaving fans devastated amidst months of scandal engulfing the beloved show.
In her heartfelt farewell, she expressed her gratitude: “To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together. Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive. To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you,” her statement read.
She also paid tribute to the viewers: “Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You’ve been so loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day. Richard and Judy said, ‘We only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers.’
“It’s been an honour to just be part of its story and I know this story has many chapters left to go. Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family,” she added. “I will miss you all so much.”
Despite her emotional exit, any potential bad blood with former colleague Phil seemed unaffected as he revealed that Holly had not responded to his apologetic message following the revelation of his affair.
On his Channel 5 reality series Cast Away, Phil lashed out at “three s***s” at ITV, believed by some to include Holly, whom he blamed for his troubles.
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