Holly Willoughby’s announcement of her resignation from ITV’s This Morning on Tuesday (10 October) comes as little surprise.
Over the past 13 months, the 42-year-old British television staple has been at the centre of a queue-jumping row, witnessed her co-presenter Phillip Schofield’s sudden fall from grace and faced an alleged kidnapping plot.
It was only one year ago that Willoughby and Schofield were celebrating their 13th consecutive win at the National Television Awards, which they had consistently dominated over the years.
Both presenters are now in limbo, albeit for very different reasons.
In her statement announcing her departure from the show after 14 years, Willoughby said it has been an “honour to just be part of its story”, but “I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family”.
Though the presenter did not refer to the incident in the statement, her exit comes days after Gavin Plumb, 36, of Potters Field, Harlow, was charged with soliciting to commit murder and incitement to commit kidnap.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield at the 2022 NTA Awards— (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Mother-of-three Willoughby was placed under police guard in her £3m home in southwest London and is reported to have been left “shocked and distraught” after learning of the alleged plot.
Below, The Independent has created a timeline tracing how This Morning’s beloved presenting team abruptly went off-air.
‘Queuegate’
September 2022: In September last year, Schofield and Willoughby faced intense scrutiny for skipping the queue for Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state.
The presenting duo were allowed to jump the queue as members of the media to film a segment for This Morning while tens of thousands of members of the general public queued for as long as 24 hours.
“They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state – but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event,” ITV producers said in a statement.
During This Morning’s 20 September episode, the pair addressed the issue live on the programme, with Willoughby telling audiences: “Please know that we would never jump a queue.
“We of course respected those rules, however, we realise it may have looked like something else and therefore totally understand the reaction.”
Meanwhile, a petition to have the duo axed from the show garnered more than 75,000 signatures.
Holly Willoughby— (PA Wire)
Phillip Schofield’s affair scandal
10 May 2023: The Sun reported that Schofield and Willoughby were “barely speaking” after viewers spotted “tension” between the presenters.
11 May 2023: Schofield called Willoughby “his rock” and said they are “the best of friends” in a statement.
He added: “‘The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.”
Schofield had recently returned to the show following a short hiatus after his brother was convicted of sexually abusing a teenager.
15 May 2023: The pair put on a united front on This Morning and made no reference to stories in the press about their relationship.
18 May 2023: Schofield presented what would turn out to be his last episode of This Morning.
20 May 2023: Schofield stepped down from This Morning with immediate effect. ITV said he will continue to present “peak-time shows”, including The British Soap Awards and a new prime-time series. Willoughby released a statement saying the sofa “won’t feel the same without him”.
26 May 2023: Schofield parted ways with ITV completely after admitting to lying about an affair with a colleague on This Morning. In a statement, Schofield said: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship. I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”
It was also revealed that Schofield had been dropped by his agents after 35 years. ITV issued a statement saying it was “deeply disappointed” by Schofield, and felt “badly let down” by him.
Holly Willoughby sat alongside Josie Gibson after she addressed Phillip Schofield upon her ‘This Morning’ return— (ITV)
27 May 2023: Willoughby shared a statement on Schofield’s admission, saying she asked him if rumours about the relationship were true back in 2020. She said her co-host assured her they were not, adding: “It’s been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.”
1 June 2023:The Sun published an interview with Schofield in which he said he was sorry to Willoughby but owes his “greatest apology” to his former lover. He reiterated that he did not “groom” the man, and that although his wife was “very, very angry” about the affair, his daughters have been “guarding” him during the fallout.
2 June 2023: The BBC aired its own interview with Schofield, conducted by media editor Amol Rajan. Schofield said he has “lost everything” and the affair has had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind. Speaking about the criticism he had faced he said he can see “nothing ahead” except “blackness and sadness” and said he has started to speak about his career in television “in the past tense”. Schofield also urged the media to leave the younger man alone.
He also said that he texted Willoughby in the immediate aftermath of the scandal, telling her he was “deeply sorry”. He said she never replied, and that he “understands” why.
5 June 2023: Willoughby returned to This Morning and opened the episode by saying she was “shaken” and “troubled” by Schofield’s admission. She said: “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.”
14 June 2023: ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall was questioned by MPs alongside ITV managing director Kevin Lygo and general counsel and company secretary Kyla Mullins about Schofield’s exit. Dame Carolyn told the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee that Schofield’s lover denied 12 times that he had an affair with the TV presenter
She pushed back strongly against allegations that the relationship was an open secret at ITV as people including Piers Morgan, James Haskell and Kevin Maguire had suggested.
Phillip Schofield left ITV after admitting to having a relationship with a younger male former colleague— (PA Wire)
Alleged kidnapping plot emerges
5 October 2023: Willoughby was notably absent from This Morning with Alison Hammond filling in, though she did not address Willoughby’s absence.
It was later reported that police alerted This Morning bosses to the alleged plot early on Thursday morning, when it was decided that Willoughby would not appear on the show.
6 October 2023: A shopping centre security officer was remanded in custody over an alleged plot to kidnap and murder Willoughby. Gavin Plumb, 36, was charged at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court with soliciting a man named David Nelson to commit murder, and incitement to commit kidnap between October 2 and 5 in Harlow, Essex. The other man was due to arrive in the UK the following week from the US, the court heard.
10 October 2023: Willoughby announced she was stepping down from presenting This Morning after 14 years, saying on Instagram that it was an “honour to just be part of its story”. Following Willoughby’s announcement, Lygo said: “She remains a much loved member of the ITV family and we look forward to continuing to work with her in the future.”
Additional reporting by the Press Association
