It’s been almost 18 months since the sensational scandal that saw Phillip Schofield step down from his role at This Morning.
But last week, the ‘disgraced’ TV star was at the front of yet another fallout as his fiery feud with former co-star and best friend Holly Willoughby was reignited following his comeback show, C5’s Cast Away.
While Phil didn’t mention her name directly during the show, reports emerged last week claiming that he now refers to Holly as ‘the witch’, who he allegedly accused of ‘bringing me down’.
And now sources say that while she has kept a dignified silence so far, Holly, 43, has been left horrified by the things Phil, 62, has said.
An insider reveals, ‘Phillip is consumed by bitterness and Holly is lost for words. He’s trying to start a war, but she won’t give in to him. In fact, she feels sorry for him. She just can’t get her head around the way he is behaving.’
Following his bombshell TV return, during which he referred only to the ‘three s***s’ in daytime TV, it was claimed that messages and emails sent by Phil had been leaked to the media, showing in full the true nature of his current relationship with former best friend Holly.
Blowing the lid off the feud for the first time, reports last week claimed that Phil now calls her ‘the witch’ when talking about her and sends the emoji to his mates if she comes up. The reports also alleged that he messaged Holly after he left This Morning, saying, ‘You brought me down’.
And while it was suggested that the ‘three s***s’ Phil alluded to on air were Holly and ITV bosses Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley, insiders claim that Holly has seen some cut footage from the Channel 5 show.
The source says, ‘Holly was left speechless when she got news of the leaked messages. She’s also aware of the contents of some unseen clips from the Cast Away show, which show more low blows from Phillip aimed at her.
‘Phillip has turned and is more vicious than ever. It’s been upsetting for her.’
Closer reached out to the production team behind Cast Away, but they did not reply.
Phil is said to blame Holly and bosses Martin and Emma for his sacking from This Morning after 23 years last May, claiming they orchestrated his departure following his brother Timothy Schofield’s child sex offence charges.
Insiders claim that Holly was supportive of Phil throughout the ordeal, but began to distance herself from him to protect her own brand – months before his ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger colleague came to light.
Phil said on Cast Away, ‘What people don’t realise is, I wasn’t fired from This Morning when I admitted lying [about the affair]. It was before. Because of someone I used to call brother. But that is my last story.’
The source now adds that Holly is fed up with what feels like Phil playing mind games.
‘Phillip is playing mind games and it’s unforgivable. It feels like it is always about him – like he’s trying to play a huge sympathy card,’ the insider says.
‘The last thing Holly will do is be drawn into a public showdown that will fuel even more attention for him. It’s difficult for her to compare the Phil she once hailed as her best friend to the one today who appears to be on a toxic path of revenge.’
Holly first joined Phil on This Morning in 2009 and it’s been reported that Phil always credited her success to his support on her landing the sought-after role.
The pair quickly became firm friends and holidayed with each other every year with their families, before abruptly leaving each other’s lives completely in May last year.
But the source says Holly – whose close friends include Alison Hammond, Emma Bunton, Nicole Appleton and Christine Lampard – is leaning on her support network and won’t be speaking out about Phil.
Following her own difficult period last year, which saw her quit This Morning in October following her kidnap ordeal, Holly has since returned to public life and will join Bear Grylls for his new Netflix show, Bear Hunt, in 2025.
The source adds, ‘Holly has a glittering career and life ahead of her so, as far as she’s concerned, Phil can do whatever he wants – she just wants to be left out of it.
‘Holly has a super-tight network of trusted friends and family – both in her personal life and work – and that’s who she’ll be focusing on. The past is behind her and she won’t be dredging it up.’