It has been reported that the defining moment of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield‘s deteriorating friendship has been uncovered.
It’s only been a few days since one of This Morning’s longest-serving presenters resigned, permanently altering the programme.
Phillip, 61, who had hosted the show for more than two decades, announced his intention to leave, terminating his partnership with Holly, 42.
It is now believed that the first symptom of their alleged ‘fallout’ occurred in March of this year, when they disagreed over how to observe an important annual occasion.
International Women’s Day occurs annually on March 8, bringing attention to the challenges encountered by girls and women around the globe and celebrating themes of sisterhood.
Holly reportedly wanted This Morning to feature an all-female presenting lineup for the event, which took place on a Wednesday this year, and she and This Morning editor Martin Frizell came to an agreement on the matter.
The MailOnline reported that Phillip was ‘furious’ about the proposal because he would have been ‘completely sidelined’ by the segment.
Phil reportedly went ‘over Holly’s head’ to communicate directly with Martin’s supervisor, Emma Gormley, in order to prevent the all-female lineup from becoming a reality.
Holly was joined in the ITV studio by a large number of female presenters and off-camera employees to commemorate International Women’s Day, before Phil returned to the ITV studio to sit back on the sofa with his co-host.
‘Holly was livid about Gormley’s decision and the fact Phillip had undermined her, and made that very clear to numerous people at ITV,’ a source said.
‘It was the first real sign to This Morning staff that their relationship had fractured and Holly wanted to step out of Phillip’s shadow.’
Before Phil’s departure from This Morning, it was alleged that he and Holly were ‘barely communicating’ when the cameras were off.
He issued a statement asserting that they were still ‘best friends’ and characterising her as his ‘anchor’ once more.
In his statement announcing his departure from the ITV daytime programme, he neglected to mention her at all, writing: ‘I have always been delighted to cover fascinating topics on This Morning. However, This Morning has recently become the topic.
‘Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind.
‘I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.’
He stated that he had agreed to step down ‘with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future’, before concluding his message by saying: ‘I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers – and I’ll see you all for the Soap Awards next month.’
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
