Another This Morning couple is believed to have a’strained relationship,’ following Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, who were said to be ‘barely communicating’.
Rumours circulated that the pair’s relationship had cooled behind the scenes just days before Schofield, 61, quit This Morning and later resigned from all of his ITV projects, including hosting the British Soap Awards, after admitting to a ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a young male show runner.
Holly has subsequently returned to This Morning, with Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, after addressing the incident.
However, it has now been alleged that there is further conflict on set, this time involving television stalwarts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, both of whom were in the running to replace Schofield on the show.
A source said: ‘Alison and Dermot got off to a tricky start, they had very different levels of experience and came from totally different places but they then did start to rub along quite nicely.
The insider continued to Mail on Sunday: ‘Recently though things have become strained and it is worrying the bosses, they fear that this couple they put together which they had hoped would carry the show through the tough times it is enduring may have to present apart a bit more.’
They added that Alison and Holly’s relationship has also ‘cooled off a bit lately’ despite once being ‘as thick as thieves’.
An ITV source said: ‘This is absolute nonsense. There’s no tension between Alison and Dermot, quite the opposite.’
An ITV spokesperson added: ‘Alison, Dermot and Holly are all valued members of the This Morning family and all enjoy working together on the show, as well as having friendships outside of the show.’
Following Schofield’s departure, rumours have swirled around the ‘toxic’ atmosphere of This Morning.
Former This Morning guest Dr Ranj Singh has spoken out about the ‘toxic’ atmosphere, while GB News anchor Eamonn Holmes has called Holly a ‘big mouth’ while accusing Schofield of being a ‘lie’.
Eamonn accused Holly and Schofield of being ‘drunk’ when hosting This Morning, and said Holly was ‘using’ Alison. He also claimed that neither Holly nor Schofield knew the identities of anyone behind the scenes of This Morning.
Following Schofield’s departure, Holly returned to This Morning and began the programme with a heartfelt statement to the camera.
‘Hi there, good morning. Josie, thank you for being here. Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you ok? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil.’
She continued: ‘I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on and full of questions.
‘You me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.’
It’s ‘equally difficult to witness the toll that it’s had on their own mental health,’ the TV presenter stated, after Schofield remarked in an interview with the BBC that he knew how the late Caroline Flack felt before she took her own life.
‘I think what connects us all today is a desire to heal, for the health and wellness of everyone,’ Holly concluded.
Meanwhile, Alison burst into tears on This Morning after Schofield’s candid chat with BBC’s Amol Rajan.
This Morning aired two snippets from the interview, including one in which Schofield wondered, “How much are you meant to take?” in relation to the criticism and disclosed the “catastrophic effect” it has had on his psyche.
He had replied: ‘Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am.’
He also mentioned his daughters Ruby and Molly Lowe’s nonstop attention for him.
‘If my girls hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here because I don’t see a future.’
Alison, 48, burst into tears after viewing a little excerpt from his interview.
‘I’m finding this really painful,’ she revealed. ‘I loved Phillip Schofield. It’s weird because I still love Phillip Schofield.’
She went on to say that she understood what he done was wrong.
‘However, what he’s done is wrong. He’s admitted it. He’s said sorry. As a family, we’re really struggling to process everything. I never know what to say.’
Dermot, 50, echoed her sentiments saying: ‘It’s very difficult for us to cover this story – he’s a friend and a colleague.’
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
