‘Holly has questioned how she’s been allowed to become so influential’: This Morning star Willoughby ‘concerned’ by ‘hugely connected’ Amanda Holden’s status – amid claims of a rift
- READ MORE: Giggling Amanda Holden pokes fun at Holly Willoughby’s comeback statement
Holly Willoughby has reportedly grown ‘concerned’ of Amanda Holden’s status in their showbiz circles, amid claims the pair are embroiled in a rift.
It’s long been thought that the pair are far from close friends, and sources now claim Amanda’s connections have caught the attention of the This Morning star.
According to The Sun, Amanda and Holly have been pitted against each other for several jobs, and their rivalry has bubbled to the surface in the wake of Phillip Schofield’s affair scandal on This Morning.
Amanda was embroiled in a feud with Phillip which began back in 2018, when she claimed he sabotaged her chance to fill for Holly as host of This Morning.
And the Britain’s Got Talent star raised eyebrows when she appeared to mock Holly’s recent return to This Morning in an Instagram video mimicking her opening phrase: ‘Are you OK?’
Claims: Holly Willoughby has reportedly grown ‘concerned’ of Amanda Holden’s status in their showbiz circles, amid claims the pair are embroiled in a rift
Claims: The Britain’s Got Talent star raised eyebrows when she appeared to mock Holly’s recent return to This Morning in an Instagram video
A source told the publication: ‘Amanda is a queen bee of showbiz and hugely connected.
‘She has the power to get her pals in a position to bag big jobs and Holly has questioned how she’s allowed to have become so influential.’
Sources also said that Holly feels Amanda has too much sway in the industry, as was evident when she suggested to Simon Cowell that her pal Alan Carr could replace David Walliams as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, before Bruno Tonioli got the job.
Both stars have huge social media followings, and make headlines with their similar sense of style.
Things have been further muddled by the fact that Amanda’s husband Chris Hughes is group executive director at management company YMU, who used to represent Holly before she broke away and set up her own all-female team in 2020.
An insider added that Amanda has previously questioned Holly’s ‘golden girl’ status at ITV, believing she should be on the same footing as other big names at the channel.
They added: ‘With every big job that comes up at ITV, Holly always seems at the top of people’s thoughts when there is a lot of great talent to choose from.
‘Amanda, quite reasonably, feels up-and-coming stars are sometimes discounted as Holly is the obvious pick for so many executives.’
Not-so close: Sources also said that Holly feels Amanda has too much sway in the industry (the pair are pictured together in 2012)
Reports: An insider added that Amanda has previously questioned Holly’s ‘golden girl’ status at ITV, believing she should be on the same footing as other big names at the channel
Spitting image: Holly and Amanda have long been known for their similar sense of style, and sources claim the pair have previously been pitted against one another for jobs
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Amanda Holden and Holly Willoughby for comment.
It comes after Amanda poked fun at Holly’s comeback speech on This Morning – mimicking her address to This Morning viewers in a video on social media.
Returning to the show for the first time since Schofield’s sacking following his affair with a younger male colleague, Holly, 42, asked viewers: ‘Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you OK? I hope so.’
Amanda posted a video on Instagram wearing an angelic white ensemble from Me + Em which was similar to the Reiss one worn by Holly, saying: ‘Hello, it is Tuesday. Are you OK?’
And, just in case anyone missed the point, she had another pop at Holly on the radio.
When talking about doing the show hungover, the day before, co-host Jamie Theakston, 52, asked her how she was feeling.
She said: ‘I got home, got straight into bed with my dog and cat. I got up, cooked the tea and went back to bed again at 8.
‘I did that thing where you wake up at 2 and you have to talk yourself back into going to sleep.’
Jamie interjected: ‘We’re worried about your well-being,’ while talking to another guest.
Amanda replied: ‘I’m OK people, are you OK?’ before cackling loudly.
A spokesperson for Amanda told MailOnline: ‘Amanda has always made it clear in the past she has no issues with Holly. Today’s video has been taken out of context.’
Holly’s said in the original statement that it: ‘feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil and I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have.
‘Shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on and full of questions’.
‘All of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process’.
She added: ‘It’s equally hard to see the toll it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone.
‘I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that the show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
‘And from the heart, can I just say thank you for all your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every day.’
Amanda previously said she believes that in 2018, Phillip sabotaged her chances of filling in on This Morning while Holly hosted I’m A Celeb.
Rochelle Humes landed the presenting job while Phillip’s regular co-host Holly took over Ant McPartlin’s hosting duties for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.
READ MORE HERE: The lie got too big for both of us, says crestfallen Phillip Schofield in an interview laying bare his torment
In a resurfaced video, Amanda was questioned about her feud with Phil by her Heart Radio co-star Jamie.
As he tried to approach the subject, Amanda told him: ‘I’ve moved on from it, Jamie, you need to move on from it.’
Pressing further, he quizzed: ‘You might have moved on but I just wanted to know, is there any more to the story?’
Amanda told Jamie she had tried to reach out to Phil, but her attempts to arrange a meet up to clear the air were ignored.
She said: ‘I did offer to meet him for a coffee months ago, he didn’t reply to my text. What can I say?’
‘The olive branch had been extended?’, Jamie asked.
According to The Sun, Amanda reportedly expressed she felt ‘let down’ by her friend Phillip when she found out she didn’t get the position and it went to Rochelle.
She had previously filled in for Holly when the This Morning star took a year off the show to have her third child, Chester, now seven, in October 2014.
A former daytime TV executive previously told The Sun: ‘Phillip actively campaigned for Rochelle to get the job despite Amanda being more experienced – and having been told privately she’d got the gig.’
An ITV spokesperson later insisted that Rochelle’s casting was a decision made by producers, telling MailOnline: ‘Presenter line ups on This Morning change regularly and final decisions on these line ups are made by producers and not the presenters.
They said at the time: ‘Phillip Schofield is a much loved broadcaster and part of the ITV family. He is a consummate professional and held in high regard at ITV. Amanda is also held in high regard as a judge on one of our biggest shows.’
Similar outfit: Holly opened her comeback monologue on This Morning on Monday by asking viewers if they were OK, and was accused of being melodramatic
Shocking: It came after Phillip’s shocking affair scandal on This Morning. Amanda has been embroiled in a feud with the presenter since 2018
During their time co-hosting the morning show, Phillip confessed he found working alongside Amanda was ‘occasionally quite scary’.
He told Heat magazine at the time: ‘Amanda kept me on my toes. She has a faulty edit button and she forgets she’s on the telly, which is enormously endearing and funny, but occasionally quite scary.’
After Phil stepped down from This Morning, Amanda posted a strongman emoji on Instagram in what appeared to be a sign of celebration.
She did not caption the post as she remained mysterious about its meaning.
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