Holly Willoughby allegedly feels’saddened’ to see Phillip Schofield in pain following his shocking interviews.
Schofield, 61, resigned from ITV with ‘immediate effect’ after admitting on This Morning to a ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a teenage runner.
He has now come out about the romance in a number of interviews, stating that he is too afraid to leave his house for fear of being spat on and that he ‘wouldn’t be here’ if it weren’t for the support of his two children, Ruby and Molly.
Willoughby, 42, who addressed the incident on social media and expressed her ‘anger’ at being ‘lied to,’ is claimed to be ‘distressed’ by the ‘very terrible situation’ and seeing Schofield’so depressed.’
A source said: ‘Holly has not spoken to Phil, but was saddened to see him like that.
‘Seeing Phil so downtrodden and in a bad way was distressing for a number of people who know him personally.
‘There is a big team on This Morning and it was shocking for people to see him that way.
The insider continued to The Sun: ‘It is an incredibly sad situation. Phil has his daughters and friends supporting him now.
‘The focus for the This Morning team and Holly is to deliver the best shows they can, moving forward.
‘It is what Phil wants too — he has made that clear. He loves This Morning and wants it to thrive again, despite his exit.’
Schofield apologised to the Wylde Moon founder during a recent interview with The Sun and said he had ‘lost his best friend’.
The former Dancing On Ice presenter, who claimed Willoughby was unaware of the affair, said he messaged her before confessing it publicly.
He said: ‘She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply, as well. So yeah. If anyone is in any way linking Holly to this; that is absolutely, wholly untrue.’
Willoughby commented on her health firm Wylde Moon’s Instagram page shortly after Schofield’s remarks.
She published a selfie on the social media site with wet hair and captioned the post: ‘We all love the sunshine, but it can do some sneaky damage to our hair if we don’t protect it.
‘Holly’s hair-guru @cilerpeksah_hairstylist is here with her professional tips to make sure your hair stays safe all summer long. Tap the link in bio to see how to protect yours from the sun, the sea, and the swimming pools.’
Willoughby, who has been on an early half-term break enjoying a trip in Portugal with family, will return to This Morning on Monday.
She will co-host the ITV midday show with Josie Gibson.
Willoughby, along with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, was previously rumoured to be questioned about Schofield’s issue in an external ITV review.