Lorraine Kelly breaks her silence on Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby’s feud – as the pair continue to present This Morning
Lorraine Kelly has broken her silence on the feud between Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
The TV presenter, 63, spoke out after the pair returned to ITV on Monday morning amid claims of a behind-the-scenes collapse of the duo’s friendship.
The presenter holds the ITV morning slot from 9am to 10am on weekdays, shortly before This Morning airs.
Lorraine insisted that it appeared to be ‘business as usual’ for Phillip and Holly yesterday, despite mounting concerns that ITV bosses could be considering drastic action amid plummeting ratings.
She revealed she believes it would be ‘sad’ for their This Morning partnership to end – but believes they will continue to host together.
Speaking out: Lorraine Kelly, 63, has broken her silence over the feud between her ITV co-stars Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby
Tense: Phillip and Holly have continued to host This Morning this week but have not addressed their feud on air
Speaking about what she feels the future holds for the pair, Lorraine told The Sun: ‘Do you know what they were back today and it was business as usual and everyone is just getting on with it.’
She continued: ‘I would be sad if they left the show but I don’t think that is ever likely to happen and I think they’re just getting on with it.’
Phillip, 61, and Holly, 42, have yet to address their feud on air and have continued to broadcast their show as usual – despite losing 170,000 viewers in a week.
Figures revealed Monday’s episode had an average of 726,720 people watching compared to 894,000 on the same day last week. Peak viewership was also significantly down at 914,000 compared to 1.058million on May 8.
By contrast, the duo pulled in 1.3m viewers for their 2022 Christmas show and an average of 1.4m in the first four weeks of 2021.
Viewers watching today’s episode described the atmosphere as ‘awkward’, with one tweeting: ‘I haven’t watched the show for many months. I thought I’d watch today’s but it’s clear the partnership is strained.’
Insiders have described Phil as ‘increasingly withdrawn’ on set, with one telling The Mirror: ‘He seems down and spends a lot of time in his dressing room.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.’
Holly and Phil were back on screen together on Monday amid claims of their faltering relationship
He has also appeared to ‘quit’ social media amid the fallout – as his last post was seen on May 7, where he shared a video during a trip to Paris.
It comes as Holly wrote a newsletter for her wellbeing brand Wylde Moon which revealed the star in a reflective mood.
‘The older I get, the more I appreciate how daunting the concept of time passing can be,’ she mused. ‘I can always remember my nan saying things like ‘wait ’til you get to my age…then it really starts flying by’– and I now I really get it.
‘If this resonates with you, I wanted to share some advice one of my friends gave me when we were talking about this exact thing.
‘She told me that instead of worrying how quickly it’s going, we should look at things differently and appreciate that with every moment (big or small) that passes, we’re creating a future filled with joy, love, and endless possibility.’
Holly and Phil, who are embroiled in one of the biggest fallouts in television, did not address their rift when they returned to This Morning on Monday, but viewers described them as ‘awkward’ and ’embarrassing’.
On Tuesday, a source suggested that public scepticism of the pair’s attempt to project a united front could force ITV bosses to make a ‘difficult decision’.
‘This Morning’s relationship with its viewers is built on trust, and they have to believe that Holly and Phil’s friendship, and what they’re watching, is real,’ the source told The Mirror.
The insider suggested that if this was no longer believed then ITV could be forced into replacing Phil with someone else.
In her newsletter, Holly urged fans to try and look at the positives in life.
Awkward: ITV are said to be crisis talks, while Holly and Phil failed to address their fallout for a second day on air
She wrote: ‘If we can remember to reflect on just how lucky we are to be making all these memories, the passage of time can feel really positive. It’s a bit like that old saying, ”Time is a luxury that the wise appreciate.”’
Holly and Phil were back on screens for the first time on Monday since news of their feud broke, but failed to address claims that their relationship is at breaking point and that they barely speak off camera.
Phil is trying to ‘tough out’ the ongoing row after it emerged he had called in his own lawyers over the fallout with his co-presenter, sources have revealed. He has also employed a new PR man to help improve his press coverage.
Senior figures at ITV called a crisis meeting following a wave of negative social media feedback about yesterday’s show.
After seeing the reaction on Twitter, with viewers panning both Ms Willoughby, 42, and Schofield, 61, ITV bosses are pondering what to do next.
One source told the Daily Mail: ‘Social media is used as a barometer to see what the public think. Those in charge were left no under no illusion that it was a total disaster.
‘It was painful for the This Morning team to work on and it was just as painful for them to watch.
‘There was a meeting afterwards to discuss how it went that went on for some time. To be honest, everyone was just so relieved to get it over with, but even if the show does continue to go on for some time, it will continue to be a massive headache.’
On the show: Holly mimes a gun as she and Phil introduce a segment about a real man called James Bond
United front: Sources close to the pair insist the programme will continue to run smoothly, despite the feuding behind the scenes
One viewer posted: ‘Phillip Schofield thinks he can fool us with this fake nice ‘everything is fine act’ when Holly looks visibly uncomfortable being there.’
Another said: ‘How fake is this? Wow, couldn’t trust these two actors.’
A third wrote: ‘This is cringe. It feels awkward knowing theses two people don’t get along with each other. Fake friends.’
Adding to the theme, a fan commented: ‘Well this is awkward! All a bit dead behind the eyes with fake smiles.’
Sources close to the pair insist the programme will continue to run smoothly, despite the feuding behind the scenes.
Bosses from the broadcaster were allegedly furious after Phil broke his silence with a shock statement on Thursday night about the fall out with his co-host of 14 years admitting ‘the last few weeks haven’t been easy for us’.
Despite this, Phil believes he can weather the ongoing storm but even those close to him have said it is down to whether the audience believes the pair still have on-screen chemistry.
Sources at the broadcaster described the situation as a ‘quandary’ for its bosses because both of the former friends were determined to get their own way.
Breaking her silence: Writing in her latest newsletter for subscribers of her wellbeing brand Wylde Moon, Holly was in a reflective mood as she revealed she had been receiving some advice
Phil has consulted lawyers over the situation, which has been spiralling out of control for months.
The Daily Mail revealed this weekend that he has also hired Gordon Smart, a former Sun showbiz columnist and occasional Good Morning Britain host, to manage the crisis and ensure favourable press coverage.
It is a clear sign, say sources, that he is ‘taking this very seriously’ and is ‘keen to come out of the situation quickly’.
The feud began in September when the pair were criticised after failing to queue for the Queen’s Lying in State.
Phillip previously took time off from presenting the show in March after his brother, Timothy, was convicted of child sex offences.
Things have become so bad that it is said they no longer speak when the cameras stop rolling.
Holly has now cut all ties with Phil other than her This Morning commitments.
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