Holly Willoughby has returned to This Morning for the first time since Phillip Schofield quit the show before later admitting to an affair with a much-younger male colleague. Holly opened the programme on Monday, June 5 with a lengthy statement in which she said she felt "shaken, troubled, let down, worried". But many viewers were left unconvinced by her message.
Presenting the ITV daytime programme alongside Josie Gibson after taking a two-week break, Holly began by saying: "Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you okay? I hope so. Feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil and I imagine you might have been feeling a lot like I have shaken, troubled, let down, worried about the wellbeing of people on all sides of what's been going on and full of questions."
She continued: "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 and it's equally hard to see the toll that it's taken on their own mental health.
READ MORE: Who is Josie Gibson on This Morning? From Big Brother win to replacing Phillip Schofield
"I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal, for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us we can find strength in each other. And from the heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning, myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison and Craig and every single person that works on this show, will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love."
She ended her message by giving a hug to Josie. But many viewers weren't impressed with the statement. Posting on Twitter one said: "Holly Willoughby is so fake and cares way too much about how she's viewed. #ThisMorning".
Another added: "Holly Willoughby is so fake @thismorning" and: "Fine bit of acting by Holly Willoughby". A fourth said: "Could Holly Willoughby sound and less sincere? She could have learnt that speech off by heart instead of reading an autoqueue". Another viewer added: "Give Holly Willoughby a BAFTA and an Oscar after that ‘performance’ on @thismorning".
Others supported Holly and her statement. One said: "Perfectly willing to move on with Holly Willoughby as the main presenter but there should be no more mention of Phillip Schofield. She will probably have a new lease of life without being suffocated by him. Build a bridge & get over it! #ThisMorning".
Another added: "Cancel Culture really is truly horrible.... Holly Willoughby has done nothing wrong and some of the abuse she is getting verges on criminal today... Choose love, not hate." and: "I Wish People Would Stop Slagging off Holly Willoughby it's Become Bullying I Hate Bullies".
Her return comes two weeks after Phillip announced he was quitting This Morning following rumours of a feud between him and Holly. He later confirmed he'd had an affair with a much-younger male colleague and has since left ITV altogether.
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