Holly Willoughby and the This Morning team are throwing their support behind Phillip Schofield as he takes time off for his brother's sex abuse trial.
Timothy Schofield was found guilty at Exeter Crown Court of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a period of three years and will remain in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.
As the trial got underway, Phillip, 61, has been absent from This Morning as his usual co-host Holly, 41, teamed up with Alison Hammond and Joel Dommett for presenting duties. It's now been revealed that Phillip will return to This Morning on April 17 after the Easter break alongside his good pal Holly.
While the beloved morning presenter has been taking time out of the public eye to deal with his brother's legal battle, Holly and the ITV team are supporting him from behind the scenes.
"Phillip is a much loved member of our team and we wanted to make sure we supported him," a source at the channel told MailOnline. "We are so happy he will be back where he belongs."
A source added to the publication: "Holly is loyal to Phil and she will always be there for him. And she will always be there for This Morning too. She sees it as her role to keep things going."
"Can you imagine what he has been through, it is just so awful to see and hear it all come out," said another TV insider. "It was a concern that he might not want to put himself out there again. He must be going through so many devastating emotions right now."
Phillip said: "My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.
“If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family. These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts.
"As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.”
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