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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

Holly Willoughby dealt fresh blow weeks after Phillip Schofield scandal following apology to fans

Holly Willoughby appears to have been dealt a fresh blow weeks after she became embroiled in the Phillip Schofield scandal. The This Morning star has been pushing on as normal following her former friend and co-star's exit from the programme they hosted together for 14 years.

After taking a fortnight off hosting duties, Holly made a tearful return to the ITV daytime show as she extended her pre-planned half-term break following the announcement that her former co-star had quit This Morning due to their rumoured fallout behind the scenes 'becoming the story'.

However, he later stepped back from ITV altogether after admitting to lying to Holly and his employers about a relationship with a much younger ITV colleague. And during her return to screens on June 5, mum-of-three Holly addressed the scandal head on in a statement read out live on air as she was supported by her new co-host Josie Gibson.

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Now, weeks on, Holly has been continuing to host This Morning alongside the show's array of other hosts. Fresh from a two-week stint at the helm with Dermot O'Leary, viewers have this week seen Holly joined by Craig Doyle.

However, Holly and her fellow This Morning stars have been dealt a bit of a blow. The 2023 TRIC Awards took place on Tuesday (June 27) and the glitzy ceremony saw a host of Britain's best-known TV stars out in force as they celebrated the achievements of online and on-screen productions.

But the string of This Morning presenters avoided the ceremony and the popular programme also missed out on the Daytime TV gong to Channel 5's A Place In The Sun. However, a source told MailOnline that Holly had 'prior commitments' that meant she had to miss out on attending and representing the show.

Missing out on the award for the first time in four years came as Holly issued an apology to her fans. She told them she was 'so sorry' as she missed her usual tradition after a busy weekend living it up at Glastonbury Festival. The 42-year-old missed the first edition of This Morning of the week on Monday (June 27) with no explanation from her replacements Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle.

However, Holly had been spotted jumping into a helicopter with her husband Dan Baldwin with some pals before heading off to the epic musical festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Holly and Dan, who have been married since 2007, were later reportedly spotted enjoying the weekend's festivities with former footballer Peter Crouch and his wife and model Abbey Clancy.

Holly also spent time with Dermot O'Leary at the festival (ITV)

But it wasn't a mystery as Holly confirmed herself that she spent her weekend enjoying the musical extravaganza by posting a rare photo of herself and Dan, with whom she shares her three children Harry, Belle and Chester, packing on a small but rare PDA.

And after her return to This Morning on Tuesday (June 27), Holly returned to her other work duties. Many of the TV star's fans will know that away from appearing on screens she is a businesswoman with her own wellness brand, Wylde Moon, which she set up in 2018.

Each week the TV beauty, 42, pens a newsletter to her loyal subscribers of Wylde Moon, of which her older sister, Kelly, is a managing director. Kicking off her latest note, which landed on Tuesday instead of Monday, Holly wrote: "Hi, how’re you feeling today?

"So sorry I’m a day late with this newsletter, but I went to Glastonbury for the first time in years and made the most of every minute. What a weekend! Did you go? Or did you see any of it from the comfort of your own sofa to avoid having to share a loo with 200,000 other people?!"

She went on: "Just what is it about going to a festival that makes you feel about 20 again? There’s something so freeing about it…as if you’ve entered a world that encourages you to leave life’s worries and responsibilities at the gate and let your hair down. I spent three amazing days with incredible friends, listening to some of the best musicians on the planet – all whilst dancing like lunatics.

"Music brings people together like nothing else. I cannot begin to imagine how it must feel as an artist looking out at a Glastonbury crowd to see the faces of each and every person singing your lyrics. Never was this more poignant than the crowd singing back to Lewis Capaldi on Saturday, which was probably one of the most touching moments of the weekend."

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