It’s been a strenuous few weeks for Holly Willoughby ever since her former best pal and This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield unleashed a tirade of thinly-veiled attacks at her on his recent show, Cast Away.
And now insiders tell Closer that fellow TV star Amanda Holden, 53 – who has famously clashed with Phillip over the years – has been throwing her support behind her pal Holly, 43, throughout the fiery feud which has rocked the showbiz world.
A source says, ‘Of course Amanda doesn't enjoy watching someone else's downfall, but she has felt glad that people have recently seen the “real” Phillip. She and Phil do not get on, that's no secret, and so there is a sense of relief for her that people can now see Phil for who he really is. And Amanda thinks the way Holly has behaved through it all is admirable – she has a lot of respect for her. She's been thoroughly supporting her.’
The feud between Phillip and Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda seemingly began back in 2018. Prior to that, the pair had hosted awards shows together and Amanda had covered for Holly while she was on maternity leave in 2014, seemingly without issue – although Phil described her laidback approach to live presenting as ‘scary’.
The fallout was reportedly ignited back in 2018 when Amanda was tipped to replace Holly on This Morning while she temporarily took over from Ant McPartlin on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, but Phillip allegedly played a hand in hiring The Saturdays’ Rochelle Humes instead – leaving Amanda furious. When asked on her radio show what she wouldn’t like to find in her house, Amanda quipped, ‘Spiders, flies and Phillip Schofield’.
Phillip was later infamously asked to step down from his role at This Morning after his affair with a young male staff member came to light in 2023, a move he says was ‘unwise but not illegal’.
Although Amanda – who is mum to Lexi, 18 and Hollie, 12 – didn’t publicly speak out about Phillip’s exit, she did post a strongman arm emoji to her Instagram after the news broke, which many took to mean that she was delighted by Phillip’s downfall.
Now, Amanda is reportedly pleased the world is seeing the real Phillip. A source tells Closer, ‘She does feel happy that everyone has now seen Phillip for how he can be – someone with a lot of bitterness inside him, and someone who is determined to lash out and blame everyone else for what’s happened when, ultimately, the buck stops with him.
‘She always felt that Phillip had a dislike for her for no reason whatsoever; he had his favourites when he was working on This Morning and Amanda just wasn’t in that clique. She felt the way he treated her back in 2018 was totally unfair and at odds with his “nice guy” persona.
‘Of course, it isn't nice seeing anyone get “cancelled”. And Amanda did feel for Phil last week when, in the midst of everything, his mum died. Having worked with him she knows how close they were and how important family is to Phillip, and she knows he’ll be totally heartbroken by this.’
Although Amanda and Holly have never been best friends, they have moved in similar circles. Fans suspected a feud between them in May 2023 when Amanda seemingly mocked Holly when she posted a video of her on social media asking, ‘Are you OK?’ – mirroring Holly’s address to viewers after Phillip left This Morning. But Amanda later stipulated that reports of a feud between her and Holly were ‘utter rubbish’.
And the source now says that despite what has gone on in the past, Amanda – who herself has been embroiled in scandals over the years, most famously when rumours swirled her eight-year marriage to Les Dennis ended after her affair with actor Neil Morrissey – is now a firm Holly supporter.
The source adds, ‘Amanda has been Team Holly through everything. She thinks Phil’s attempt at trying to blame her for his behaviour – along with the reports he now calls her a “witch” – is all totally unjustified. Amanda thinks Holly’s great and the reality is she hasn’t got a bad bone in her body, so for Phillip to turn on her and try to bring her down too is beyond the pale.
‘Amanda has really felt for Holly, as she herself knows first-hand how brutal it can be to find yourself at the centre of a big scandal where everyone is talking about you, and you are over the papers every day.
‘She's really admired how Holly has remained dignified through everything. She supports the stance she has taken over Phillip and wouldn’t blame her if she chose not to speak to him again.’
