Viewers were quick to notice a change made by producers on This Morning after Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were notably absent from their usual promotion video on the ITV show, which comes among 'feud' speculations between the hosts.
The pair have been presenting the popular morning show for several years alongside a string of other TV programmes, having often been billed as one of UK showbiz's most 'iconic duos' but recent reports have suggested their off-screen friendship is "cooling" according to the Mirror.
The escalating rumours have pushed host Philip, 61, to issue an emotional statement as he admitted that "the last few weeks haven't been easy for either" of them and he has always been grateful for the support of Holly and everyone around him following a tough few months.
Both Holly and Phil were absent from presenting the show on Friday morning, with stand-in hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary instead leading the show where they were joined by guests including Graham Norton, Carol Vorderman and Gyles Brandreth.
During Friday's instalment, Alison and Dermot promoted what was coming up next week on the programme, including the 12 At 12 competition, which sees Phil and Holly, usually with the help of Josie Gibson, help their viewers win up to £12,000 in cash.
But unlike previous weeks when Holly and Phil appeared in the promotional video encouraging viewers to register their interest in the competition, there was no sign of them.
It comes as we previously reported how eagle-eyed fans have spotted that Holly has removed Phil from her bio on Twitter, where she previously had written: "I was introduced to this by a Twitter legend," and then tagged Phil.
Her Twitter bio now reads: "Broadcaster, Founder of Wyldemoon, Brand ambassador for Marks & Spencer and Garnier, Author of Reflections," something that didn't slip past ITV viewers.
Although it's not clear when the edit to her social media page was made, sources have claimed that their friendship is struggling and they are both now "separate entities" with their relationship very different off-screen to their united front displayed on This Morning.
Meanwhile, Phil released a bombshell statement on Thursday night as he admitted things "hadn't been easy" for the duo but praised her "incredible" support, as he told The Sun: "The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.
"As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We’re the best of friends - as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone. Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her."
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