Holly Willoughby's return to This Morning is being called into question, as odds on her not coming back to the ITV show have been slashed.
The long-serving presenter has had a tumultuous time of things over the last few months, triggered by reports of 'feuding' between herself and now former colleague Phillip Schofield, before he then quit his This Morning role after 21 years and then left ITV with immediate effect after releasing a statement admitting to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a much younger runner on the daytime programme.
As Phillip made headlines, Holly began her half term leave a week early and then, on her much publicised return to the show after three weeks away, asked viewers 'if they were OK,' before telling them she felt 'hurt and troubled' by what had gone on.
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In a frank statement, Holly assured This Morning fans that she and the rest of the team on the show would be doing all they could to restore 'the magic' it is known for and, apart from taking a few extra days off for Glastonbury, has been an almost permanent fixture on the show since Phillip's exit,. hosting for two consecutive weeks with Dermot O'Leary, bookies' early frontrunner to be Phillip's full time successor and then Craig Doyle, with a growing number of regular viewers favouring that partnership going forward.
While she made no announcement last week that she was about to take time off for summer, Holly has now begun an extended hiatus from her This Morning presenting duties, as Dermot, together with Alison Hammond, does the honours this week. And now some experts are claiming that, given what a fraught few months she's had, that Holly might not be back in September as anticipated.
Well known bookies Ladbrokes now make it just a 6/4 shot for her NOT to return to the hit ITV show after the summer. Speculating on her This Morning future, spokesperson Alex Apati said: "Holly could well have sat on the This Morning sofa for the last time if the latest odds are anything to go by, with a summer exit looking all the more likely."
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