After covering This Morning on the showbiz beat for almost 20 years, I thought I’d seen it all when it came to drama on our best-loved daytime show.
Who can forget Fern Britton’s fall-out with Phillip Schofield, which happened 12 months after it was revealed she’d had a gastric band while she was the face of Ryvita.
Or when Phil presented a list of alleged paedophiles to then-PM David Cameron, which unbeknown to him was visible to the viewers.
And, of course, there was Phil’s tearful coming out on air, which was rightly seen as a watershed moment in TV history.
But like buses, you wait for the next slice of drama and suddenly three come at once.
In the last few months we’ve had Queuegate, Phil’s brother being convicted of sex crimes, and this week reports of a “feud” between Phil and Holly Willoughby.
Throughout all the ups and downs, one thing has always been constant - ITV ’s unequivocal support of Phil.
That is, however, until the events of the last few days.
When Phil released a statement about rumours of a rift with co-host Holly, many at ITV wished he had followed Kate Moss’s mantra – never complain, never explain. In their eyes what was a silly, inconsequential story had been made super-charged by Phil himself.
ITV bosses were distinctly unimpressed, not least because they were not informed about this on-the-hoof PR strategy.
Worse still, there were concerns that by giving legs to the story, it had the potential to damage the show’s brand.
One source told me: “ This Morning ’s relationship with its viewers is built on trust, and they have to believe that Holly and Phil’s friendship, and what they’re watching, is real.”
If viewers no longer believed that, the source said, then ITV would have to make a difficult decision, which could mean jettisoning star presenter, Phil.
Make no mistake, the fact that ITV’s displeasure has been made public represents a significant sea-change in its relationship with the star.
Whereas previously they would have defended him to the hilt, there was no such strategy this time around.
I was told: “This is a PR disaster totally of his own making. The whole thing beggars belief.”
But others say this is only half the story and to try to grasp what’s going on, you need only search Phil’s name on social media.
I’ve never seen a celebrity more pilloried online. It is relentless, with homophobia often at the heart of it all. Libellous claims and outright lies disseminate unchecked, with social media companies, such as TikTok, doing nothing to prevent their spread.
How anyone can deal with that level of abuse, and hold it together on screen, day after day, is anyone’s guess.
Is it any wonder that he made a misstep by going public with last week’s statement, and, as insiders say, made the situation “a million times worse”.
Who can blame him for trying to take ownership of the “feud” story by admitting recent weeks “haven’t been easy” for both him and Holly.
Some colleagues are worried about how he is holding up. One said: “He is becoming increasingly withdrawn and almost a shell of himself. “He seems down and spends a lot of time in his dressing room. We’re worried about him.”
I had a small insight into his state of mind when we exchanged emails amid claims he and Holly skipped the queue for the Queen’s lying in state.
He had written to thank me after I wrote a piece hitting out at the “breath-taking snobbery” of some in the right-wing media to suggest he and Holly were not entitled to media accreditation given their daytime TV credentials.
After all, I argued, they’d interviewed all the serving Prime Ministers.
I believed then, as I still do, that he and Holly were shoddily treated. During our exchange, I got the distinct impression that he was finding the situation hard to deal with. I suggested it would all blow over. But I have thought of our conversation in the last few weeks.
The alleged sofa row , and Phil’s brother’s conviction are potentially more damaging stories than Queuegate.
This week, his brother Timothy is being sentenced, meaning the gruesome details of his crimes will be dredged up.
What, also, of Holly’s part in all of this? She and her aides have kept a dignified silence, believing that any public uttering just fuels the story. Many believe speculation about tension behind the scenes has been “massively overblown”.
One pal told me: “Yes, they aren’t as chummy as before. But any suggestion they were at loggerheads, not talking off-air, was false.”
But if ITV were feeling aggrieved by his statement, it’s likely Holly was too.
A source said: “She is stuck between a rock and hard place. If she comes out to support Phil, she validates a nonsense story. If she stays quiet, she’s disloyal.”
On Monday, they were both back on the sofa, putting on a united front. Whether the viewers buy it, is anyone’s guess.
