Holly Willoughby has been labelled 'brave' by a number of her Instagram followers after she has refused to make to take vital action in relation to her social media presence.
In recent weeks, Holly, 42, has found herself caught up in the flames of This Morning's controversy after her co-host of 13 years, Phillip Schofield resigned amid ongoing rumours of a feud between the former best friends.
After Phillip, 61, previously said that he thinks of Holly as a sister, it seems the This Morning host has distanced herself completely from Phil in recent weeks as many suspect she knew his downfall was about to come.
Phillip announced that he was stepping away from This Morning last week after a 21-year reign, and just one week later, he announced that he was resigning from ITV for good after confessing to having an affair with a much young male member of staff while he was still married.
Holly remained tight-lipped on Phillip's statement for over 24 hours, but when she made her return to social media, she claimed that she knew nothing about his affair with the young showrunner.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Holly said that she felt 'deeply hurt' by Phillip's lies after she said that she had previously questioned him about the rumours, having got wind of them by others at ITV.
The This Morning star, 42, who is taking some time away from the show and is thought to be on holiday in the Algarve, released a statement on Saturday night addressing the growing controversy.
“It has taken some time to process yesterday’s news," Holly wrote.
"When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It’s been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie," she added.
Following her statement, hundreds of social media users took to the comments section of Holly's most recent Instagram posts to share their reaction to her statement, with many calling the This Morning star 'brave' for not turning off comments on her posts.
While Phillip has chosen to turn off comments - so that nobody can write anything under his posts amid the drama - Holly has left hers on as her fans as well as those who insist she should step down from This Morning argue amongst one another.
"Holly, I'm not a fan of you right now, but I do have to say that I think you're actually very brave to leave the comments on under your posts. People are saying horrendous things, but maybe you need to hear them," one Instagram user wrote.
"Of course Phillip turned off his comments, but I can't believe you still have yours on. Fair play to you, honestly, that takes b***s," another echoed.
"She’s brave for not turning these comments off," another voiced.
Elsewhere, others were not so supportive of Holly, as many accused the TV star of knowing about Phillip's affair with the young showrunner.
"You should step down Holly. It's sad but I think now that you both thought you were bigger than the show. How could you not have known if he was your best friend and you worked with him for nearly 15 years. So disappointing," one livid Instagram user penned.
Another echoed: "I just think it was time to go. Holly needs to leave now and just go away and be happy with the money she’s got, hang out with her kids and dog."
"I love you Holly, and I love you on This Morning. But I don't know if there's any coming back from this. If you really did know nothing, then it's a crying shame that your career is on a ledge because of someone else. I'm so sorry," another shared.
Since Phillip quit the show and admitted to having an affair with a younger ITV colleague, This Morning viewers have been questioning the future of the ITV programme.
However, ITV bosses have now confirmed that the show will be making a return on Monday.
In a statement, they told The Mirror: "This Morning will be back on Monday."
Hosting the first show back since Phillip's affair has been exposed will be Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.
The pair also hosted the show last Monday, just two days after Phillip announced he was stepping down from This Morning after 21 years.
