On Monday Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield returned to This Morning for the first time since their rumoured 'fallout'.
The presenting duo have been colleagues and close friends for 17 years, having first met in 2006 when they were both presenting Dancing on Ice.
Holly and Phil were fan favourites, and many couldn't get enough of their chemistry and genuine adoration for one and other, but now fans are beginning to see the cracks.
Now, according to the Mirror, the pair have had a number of rumoured back-stage disputes, and are said to be at eat others throats so much that when the cameras finish rolling, they are 'barely speaking'.
So what happened to the formally iconic duo's close-knit friendship?
In 2019, it is alleged that Phil became 'jealous' when Holly began presenting 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' replacing Ant McPartlin and winning a BAFTA.
Soucres claimed that the 61-year-old banned his friend from mentioning her victory on the show, and claimed he was unhappy when a photospread in a weekend newspaper focused on Holly and not on him.
The source told The Sun: "Phillip was furious. He didn't want Holly to mention her triumph when they reunited on This Morning.
"It felt very petty and bitter for someone who is his close friend. But it felt like he was jealous."
Tensions continued to rise when Holly reportedly wanted Phil to stop posting clips of her consuming alcohol on social media, but used their joint management to break the news.
However, despite rampant rumours at the time, This Morning bosses hit back at the claims and said Phillip and Holly had a "genuine friendship".
A spokesperson said: "We have the smartest viewers watching telly and believe me they would be the first to notice any issues - they haven't because there are none."
ITV also refuted any unrest, saying in a full statement: "It's deeply disappointing and unfair for Phillip to be the target of this sort of malicious gossip.
"Phillip is a much respected broadcaster and colleague and this is absolutely not a description of This Morning that we recognise.
"Holly and Phil are great friends both on and off screen and are popular among viewers and colleagues alike."
Holly finally addressed the alleged fallout in 2021, and told pal Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast that she couldn't deal with people having the wrong idea.
She said: "I was watching from afar when you've got every person in the press saying that you and Phillip are having a tough time. Meanwhile, you're great friends and there were no arguments.
"That was a particularly difficult time. But I remember having a conversation with Phil and it was like, 'But we know'."
Holly added: "I have to believe that, as long as you know inside, and you know the truth - you know your truth – then everything is ok."
Skipping the queue at the Queen's lying-in-State drama
The ITV duo were surrounded by controversy in September after they were falsely accused of jumping the queue at the late Queen's lying-in-state.
This Morning and the hosts later issued a statement clarifying the incident, but the public continued to rage - with over 75,000 signing a petition to axe Holly and Phil from the ITV show.
A source told OK! that the atmosphere in the studio was "awful" and the Queue-gate drama made their relationship "extremely awkward".
"You could cut the tension in the room with a knife," the insider said at the tie.
"The fact that the audience are now noticing it too indicates that big cracks are starting to show."
At the time, Phil and Holly assured viewers: "Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists we were given official permission to access the hall.
"It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who haven't been able to visit Westminster in person.
"The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause.
"None of the broadcasters and journalists took anyone's places in the queue and no one filed past the Queen.
"We of course respected those rules however we realised that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction.
"Please know that we would never jump a queue."
Phil's brother's trial
Despite their friendship, Phillip reportedly kept Holly out of the loop when it came to his brother Timothy's trial for child sex offences. He was convicted and will be sentenced later in the week.
During the hearing, Phillip - who has now publicly removed his brother from his life - took three weeks off from presenting This Morning, and on his return Holly took a week off as she had the shingles.
An insider told the Daily Mail: "Holly had to find out from someone else, which must have been awful for her. She has been so loyal to him."
Holly cooling off the relationship
Fans of the pair noticed Holly has begun taking a step back from her on-screen partner, having seemingly wiped Philip from her social media in recent weeks.
On Twitter, her bio previously read: "I was introduced to this by a Twitter legend," before tagging her presenting partner.
However, it now reads: "Broadcaster, Founder of Wyldemoon, Brand ambassador for Marks & Spencer and Garnier, Author of Reflections" - something that didn't slip past her and Phil's viewers.
According to reports, last week Holly was also pushing ITV to make a final decision on Phil's future on the show, so she can rebrand herself and plan for the future.
A source said: "Holly was considering her position on the show earlier this year, as she couldn't see Phil being ousted.
"But that is now a real possibility and she wants to see a decision made on both of their futures quickly.
"That is what is behind Holly asking her team to reach out to ITV – she is trying to move things forward.
"There has been no bloodbath meeting yet, but that could well be to come. The sooner it happens, the sooner she can rebrand herself."
It is understood Holly now sees her distance from Phil as an opportunity to rebrand herself as a "woman's woman" fronting the show with Alison Hammond – as she did during Phil's absence from the sofa last month.
Shock statement
In a statement to The Sun, Phillip shut down any suggestion that his friendship with Holly has broken down.
He said: "The last few weeks haven't been easy for either of us. My family went through a real ordeal.
"And Holly's support throughout meant the world to me, as did the support of my bosses at ITV, my editor Martin Frizell and the whole This Morning family, including our amazing viewers."
Phillip explained that Holly had been his pal through "thick and thin".
But Holly is said to have been 'blindsided' and 'deeply upset' by the statement as she had no idea Phil was going to speak publicly about their rumoured rift.
A source claimed it was "desperate stuff" from Phillip given the current state of their relationship.
And despite not commenting on her friendship with Phil head-on, Holly opened up about her future as she shared some words of advice with her Wylde Moon subscribers.
In Monday's email, the star shared her thoughts on the passage of time as she struggled to believe we were already mid-way through May.
"The older I get, the more I appreciate how daunting the concept of time passing can be," she typed in her newsletter. "I can always remember my nan saying things like ‘wait ‘til you get to my age…then it really starts flying by’– and I now I really get it. If this resonates with you, I wanted to share some advice one of my friends gave me when we were talking about this exact thing.
"She told me that instead of worrying how quickly it’s going, we should look at things differently and appreciate that with every moment (big or small) that passes, we're creating a future filled with joy, love, and endless possibility. If we can remember to reflect on just how lucky we are to be making all these memories, the passage of time can feel really positive. It’s a bit like that old saying, 'Time is a luxury that the wise appreciate'."
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