Fans have been worrying about Phillip Schofield and his family since early November, when the twinkly-eyed presenter disappeared from our screens when his younger brother was suddenly taken ill.

But, opening ITV’s This Morning today, Holly Willoughby and Ben Shephard have thankfully confirmed that Phil’s little brother, Tim, is ‘feeling better’ - and even sitting up to watch the programme.

They did not, however, reveal when 53-year-old Phil would be returning to the show.

Fans took to Twitter to celebrate the good news that Tim is feeling better, with one user writing: "So good to hear that @Schofe's brother Tim is on the mend."

Another added: "Always love #itvthismorning #thismorning I like Ben, but want Phillip back!"

Phillip Schofield began his leave of absence from This Morning on Monday 30th November, with Eamonn Holmes stepping in to cover him due to the family emergency.

Holly Willoughby announced the news to viewers, saying: “Sadly, Phillip can't be here this morning as his brother has been taken ill suddenly. “We're sending them all lots of love and we're thinking of you.

“That means that Eamonn is here today. I am a very lucky girl today.”

Eamonn replied: “How lucky are you that I was available today?”

Fans immediately took to Twitter to offer Phillip and his family their support, with one tweeting "Sad to hear @Schofe going thru a bad time with his brother n family.

“Sending love n in my thoughts. Xx"

Another added: “@Schofe I hope your brother gets well soon @EamonHolmes done an amazing job in place of you.”

One user wrote: "So good to hear that @Schofe's brother Tim is on the mend."

It is currently unknown what has caused Tim’s illness, but he does suffer from Type 1 diabetes.

Phillip, who is seven years older than his brother, is passionate when it comes to raising awareness about diabetes, and has spoken about Tim’s condition in the past.

In an interview with Diabetes Advice last year, he said: “My brother was first to be diagnosed and he had an unquenchable thirst for fizzy drink, which was very unlike him.

“That continued for a few days, he was acting completely out of character. So we took him to the doctors and he was very quickly diagnosed. Then six months later my mum was diagnosed in the same way."

He added: “My brother was very young at the time of diagnosis, probably in his late teens. He had always been very healthy and active.

“He is also seven years younger than me so it was a shock, as far as we were aware there was no history of the disorder in the family.”

We wish Tim a speedy recovery - and we hope to see Phillip Schofield return to ITV’s This Morning soon.