This Morning's Holly Willoughby was on holiday in Portugal when she discovered a barrister had been appointed to investigate Phillip Schofield's affair with a young ITV co-worker.
The 42-year-old strolled along the beach, wearing a large sunhat and black sunglasses in the sun. It was there where she found out Jane Mulcahy KC will carry out an external review into her former co-stars fling, which he covered up for years. But pals said the presenter, due to return to This Morning on Monday, is relaxed about giving evidence to it, reports the Mirror.
It is the first time she has been seen in public since revealing last week Schofield lied to her about the affair. A source said: “Holly will of course 100% co-operate with the inquiry should she be asked, as she has nothing to hide whatsoever.
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“She has made crystal clear that Phil lied to her about his relationship with the runner, and is super relaxed about giving her version of events. She is looking forward to getting back to business on the sofa next week but is now determined to enjoy some downtime with her family after a crazy few weeks.”
It is understood Holly is yet to be formally contacted about the review.
Pictured alongside her sister Kelly, mum Linda and three children, Holly was also seen with a beer in her hand while dressed in a black swimsuit and denim shorts. She has an £8million holiday home in the area.
On Friday morning, in an interview with the BBC, Schofield spoke publicly and said he had 'lost everything' in the wake of the affair being exposed.
Speaking to the BBC’s Amol Rajan in an interview released on Friday morning, he spoke of the criticism he has faced since admitting the affair, saying: “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am.”
He said: “It is relentless, and it is day after day, after day after day. If you don’t think that that is going to have the most catastrophic effect on someone’s mind… do you want me to die?
"Because that’s where I am. I have lost everything.”
ITV boss to be called before committee
It was confirmed on Wednesday ITV chief Dame Carolyn McCall will be called before a Commons committee, as revealed by the Mirror on Tuesday, after she claimed Schofield first denied the fling in 2019 and continued to do so right up until last month.
Schofield's lawyer said yesterday he would “expect Phillip fully to co-operate with any formal enquiry” but that he had not been approached yet.
Dame Carolyn had written to MPs revealing the depth of Schofield’s deception over the affair, which he called “unwise but not illegal”. She will be quizzed by MPs from Culture, Media and Sport Committee on June 14.
One, Tory Dame Caroline Dinenage, responded to Dame Carolyn’s letter. She wrote: “Whilst the recent coverage focuses on the Schofield case, it also raises issues about safeguarding and complaint handling both at ITV and across the media. These issues should, particularly in the case of public service broadcasters, be open to scrutiny.”
Insiders said the review could take “months” to complete but that no timetable had yet been drawn up. It is understood that one of the areas Mulcahy could investigate is as to whether HR were involved, or indeed alerted at all, in the investigations undertaken by ITV.
A source said last night: “It’s an area that will be looked at. No stone will be left unturned.”
Jane McDonald was yesterday also confirmed as Schofield’s replacement as the host of the British Soap Awards this weekend. He had claimed he would be fronting the event when he left This Morning on May 20.
But he later revealed he stepped down from the ceremony, his last public commitment.
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