Holly Willoughby’s fears for pal Phillip Schofield’s future

After making the brave decision to come out as gay after almost three decades of marriage, it was his co-host Holly Willoughby who sat beside him on the This Morning sofa, tenderly holding his hand and reading his heartfelt statement out live on TV.

“We’ll do this together”, she told a tearful Phillip Schofield, before reading out the emotional announcement he’d posted on Instagram just 10 minutes earlier, in which he revealed he has suffered “inner conflict”, but was ready to “celebrate and be proud” of his sexuality.

In his statement, Phillip, 57, heaped praise on his supportive wife of 27 years Stephanie, and their two grown-up daughters Molly, 27, and Ruby, 24. He also credited Holly – with whom he has co-hosted the ITV show since 2009 – as his shoulder to cry on, revealing he had been confiding in her for some time.

He said, “My friends are the best, especially Holly, who has been so kind and wise – and who hugged me as I sobbed on her shoulder.”

The TV duo are better known for bursting into fits of giggles on the show, and often holiday together with their families. And viewers couldn’t help but spot that under their on-screen chemistry, there was genuine love and support from Holly, who referred to his “pain”, saying she knew “how difficult” it had been for him to come out.

One touched viewer commented, “Holly and Phil usually being silly together so it’s nice to see their friendship runs deeper than just the good times and that they are there for each other during the hard times too”. Another said, “You can see from the way she was welling up and just wanted to protect him that they really love each other.”

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Phil revealed Holly, 38, had kept his secret for “a long time”, telling her on air, “You know that this has been bothering me for a very long time. And I could not have [come out] if it hadn’t been for you.”

Although she has fully supported his decision to go public, those close to Holly say they wouldn’t be surprised if she was feeling a bit fearful for her pal’s future, with the spotlight firmly on him and his family over the following weeks and months as he tries to find his way in his new life.

And on the show last week, Holly had tears in her eyes as she vowed to her longtime friend, “Whatever happens in the future, I’ll be sat by your side, forever and ever.” Posting an old picture of them together at an awards ceremony on social media, she wrote, “Never been more proud of my friend than I am today.”

And despite his relief at revealing his secret – saying he feels “lighter” after the announcement – Phil admitted the hardest battle he faced was causing “hurt and upset” to his wife and daughters.

He fought back tears as he told Holly, “It wasn’t easy telling my family, but the [girls] are so amazing in their love and support. I sat them down and I told them, and they jumped up and gave me a big hug and then they hugged Steph and they said, ‘It’s OK’. We’ll always be a family.”

He also admitted to feeling guilt over the situation, adding, “I am very conscious of the hurt, and so my overriding emotion with my family is obviously going to be guilt, because I do feel guilty that this can’t be anything other than a painful process for them.

The couple met when Phil was working for BBC children’s television and Steph was a production assistant. He previously joked, “You’d have thought someone wouldn’t be attracted to a man with a puppet and dodgy jumpers! But that is how we met.” Last week, he lavished praise on her, saying, “Steph has been incredible – I love her so very much. She is the kindest soul I have ever met.””

Phil’s coming out followed reports from the end of last year of a huge falling-out behind the scenes at ITV, including issues with regular stand-in Amanda Holden and Friday host Ruth Langsford – whose husband Eamonn Holmes came under fire after he joked to Phil live on air, “I always wondered, ‘How come Phil can sit in a hot-tub with Holly, and Steph doesn’t have a problem?’”

There were also said to be tensions between Phil and Holly, who also co-hosts Dancing On Ice with him. The rift reportedly stemmed from a magazine cover shoot they did in which Holly was featured with a crown drawn over her head alongside the headline, “Queen Holly: How Holly Willoughby Eclipsed Philip Schofield And Became Britain’s Hottest TV Star.”

But, speaking exclusively to Closer last week, Holly said, “It’s funny, because we knew that this would probably come up, and actually it’s been quite an easy one for us, because there’s nothing to defend. We ring each other and talk to each other all the time anyway. We know what we’re like. It would be impossible for us to fake the giggles. I’m on the telly for two and a half hours – let me tell you, I’m not that good of an actress.”

Phil had also hit back at the claims, saying, “It’s a shame… Holly is the sister I never had, we think at the same speed. The atmosphere in our studio is so wonderful.”

The unshakeable bond between the pair – and the reason why insiders say Phil had turned to Holly as he struggled with his secret – is said to have its roots in their early days together when Phil took her under his wing.

Celebrating 10 years as a double act on This Morning last year, Holly recently reminisced about her first day, saying, “[I was] so, so nervous and holding on to Phil for dear life. I’d watched This Morning as a fan for many years before doing it, I didn’t want to be the one to mess it up.”

Confirming their close relationship, she later added that she’d leave the show if Phil ever quit, saying, “We’ve always said from the beginning that if either of us left then we wouldn’t want to do it, as I can’t imagine This Morning without Phil.”

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Lawrie Roberts, Pride in Ageing Manager at LGBT Foundation, says it can be hard for those close to someone when they come out.

He says, “Coming out at any time is a challenging, momentous decision, and it’s great that Phillip was able to do this. However, not everyone’s coming out experience will be the same as his. While for many people, coming out in later life is a hugely positive thing to be able to share with others who you are and connect to others in the LGBT community, on some occasions it can cause complications with family. We would advise anyone who’s affected or whose family is affected to get in touch with a local support organisation if needed.

“There’s been so much progress over the last few decades and it is amazing that more people are able to share who they are, regardless of age, and celebrate their true selves. Pride in Ageing was launched last year to offer spaces to the growing number of LGBT people who are out in later life, and extend LGBT Foundation’s support to them.”

Meanwhile, Phil revealed he is yet to contemplate future relationships, telling Holly, “I’m not thinking there. I’m doing each day at a time now, this has always been a slow process and there is no fast process after this... there’s no one, I’m not rushing out to anybody.”

You can read more celebrity news in this week's Closer magazine - out now.