Phillip Schofield was branded 'The Grim Reaper' by This Morning insiders after his recent 'fall from grace'.
The TV presenter has been hitting the headlines after it was reported that his friendship with Holly Willoughby has been deteriorating behind the scenes on the ITV show.
Fuel was further added to the fire when he appeared to address their friendship troubles saying “the last few weeks haven't been easy for either of us.”
Sources claimed neither Holly nor ITV knew about the sudden statement and it was later reported that other presenters are lined up to replace him should he leave ITV.
It comes as sources revealed Phil has fallen from grace after years of behind-the-scenes tension and he has even been jokingly nicknamed The Grim Reaper.
And now, insiders told how Phil’s exit from the sofa would also be welcomed by some staff.
One said: “Phil has been seen as untouchable for years which has also given him an unprecedented level of control.
"He is nicknamed The Grim Reaper by some people who don’t get on with him."
They added: "He is obviously very passionate about the show, but the way he goes about exercising his influence has made him very unpopular with some.”
The reports come after Phillip released a statement about his friendship with Holly.
He said: "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."
Phillip added to The Sun : "Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her."
The pair have fronted shows including Dancing On Ice and This Morning together for several years and outside of work have maintained a close friendship.
However, in recent months, sources have suggested that the best friends are not "as close as they once were".
Despite the claims, they appeared alongside one another during last week’s instalments of This Morning and put on a united front in a bid to silence any claims.
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