In an effort to preserve the ITV show, Holly Willoughby is allegedly going to accept a hefty new deal to present This Morning.
The Wylde Moon founder, 42, was expected to leave the long-running show following the fallout from Phillip Schofield, 61, confessing to lying about an affair with runner.
The Dancing On Ice host added fuel to the fire by merely signing off her final show before her summer holiday in Portugal with ‘See you, bye,’ instead of announcing her return, as she has done in past years.
However, Holly has stated that she has no intentions to leave This Morning.
According to other sources, the host is set to renew her contract with the programme and is ‘expected’ to demand a wage increase on top of her existing remuneration, which is reported to be over £700,000 per year.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Holly is going back. People have been saying she won’t for some time now but she is.
‘ITV want her back, and they are delighted she has agreed. It will be made official shortly but it will save This Morning, it will ease a huge crisis that they are in.
‘It most probably would have been game over for them if Holly had left.’
This Morning made news after it was revealed that Holly and Phil, her co-presenter since 2009, were ‘barely communicating’ and that their relationship had soured behind the scenes.
After admitting to lying about the ‘unwise but not illegal,’ Phil resigned from This Morning and then from all of his ITV engagements, including presenting the British Soap Awards.
Holly left the programme after Phil’s departure, saying she was “shaken, concerned, let down,” and “full of questions” in a now-mocked statement.
She has since been co-hosting This Morning with Craig Doyle, 52, until ITV announces Phillip’s permanent replacement.
Former performers Dr Ranj Singh and Eamonn Holmes have also accused This Morning of ‘toxicity’ on set, with the former saying he was forced out after raising concerns with ITV managers.
During a parliamentary committee hearing, ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall addressed claims regarding the program’s culture.
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Shooting down the accusations, she said: ‘What I know is that when we talk about culture it’s incredibly important to me, personally and so it deeply disappoints me, right?
‘But we do not recognise that in This Morning and the reason for that is that we have tangible evidence to tell you that the vast majority of people at daytime and at This Morning are engaged.
In a letter sent by McCall after Dr. Ranj made his charges public, ITV asserted it had a “strong duty of care” to its employees.
She addressed Dr. Ranj’s assertions in the lengthy message, saying the network was’sorry’ to read his remarks.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
