Holly Willoughby has revealed her secrets to being “worthy of happiness” in a cryptic post following her former co-host Phillip Schofield’s abrupt departure from This Morning after over 20 years.
Schofield left ITV following his revelation of an affair with a younger colleague on the show.
During interviews in the wake of the fallout, he told the Sun and the BBC that Willoughby did not know about the “unwise, but not illegal” relationship, and has apologised for lying to her.
Weeks on from his shock axing, the 42-year-old shared several affirmations on Tuesday via her lifestyle brand Wyldemoon’s Instagram account.
One said: “I am worthy and deserving of a lifetime filled with happiness and joy.”
While another focused on success, the mantra read: “I am stronger than all the challenges and difficulties that stand in my way.”
She then went on to share two more affirmations that centred around self-love and abundance.
Captioning the post, Willoughby spoke about the power of affirmations and urged her brand’s followers to try them.
She wrote alongside it: “Affirmations might seem cheesy if you’ve never tried them before, but they really do work.”
Willoughby has previously revealed how hurt she was by Schofield’s actions in a statement on her Instagram story, saying: “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.”
Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes and the show’s former resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh have both separately made allegations about the culture behind the scenes at the programme in the wake of Schofield’s departure.
Last week, ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall alongside ITV managing director Kevin Lygo and general counsel and company secretary Kyla Mullins was called to a parliamentary committee to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.
Dame Carolyn pushed back strongly against allegations that Schofield’s affair was an open secret at ITV as people including Piers Morgan, James Haskell and Kevin Maguire had suggested, the session heard.
She said “we were repeatedly told nothing was happening”, and both men denied it “both formally and informally”, with the younger employee, referred to as Person X, being questioned 12 times.
“There was only hearsay and rumour and speculation… Nobody on the board would have turned a blind eye to something as serious as this,” she said, confirming there is “zero tolerance” for bullying, harassment or abuse of position at ITV.
