Phillip Schofield is being supported by the two most important women in his life - falling his shock fallout with former 'bff' Holly Willoughby.
The TV veteran has been plunged into a media storm after it was reported he and Holly were 'barely speaking' before Phil confirmed that the last few weeks have 'not been easy.'
In the wake of the drama, Phil turned to his ex-wife Stephanie Lowe for advice as he pondered his future at ITV.
Phil and Stephanie, who share two grown-up daughters, have remained firm friends since the TV star came out as gay on an episode of This Morning in 2020.
In his departure from the show, Steph is once again consoling her estranged husband - along with his mother Pat.
Phillip fled to Cornwall to be with his mother with the pair pictured holding glum talks in a car together as Holly Willoughby paid farewell to Phil with an Instagram statement.
As crisis talks continued, the host turned to his estranged wife for guidance before ultimately deciding to stand down as host of the flagship ITV show, which he presented for 21 years, 13 of those with his former co-host Holly.
A source has claimed Phillip looked to his mum Pat, his ex-wife and their two daughters on their thoughts on what he should do when it became clear his once enviable working relationship with Holly was no longer tenable.
"Phil consulted his mum Pat and his ex-wife Stephanie before agreeing to step back He is incredibly close to them both and wanted to gauge their thoughts," the source said.
"Phil also spoke with his daughters, Molly — who is a talent agent at his management company YMU — and Ruby. It was only after they’d had these discussions that Phil said he would agree to leave," an insider told The Sun.
Phillip and Stephanie have been married since 1993, with his spouse issuing a statement in support of her husband when he came out as gay in 2020.
It read: "I love Phillip, as much today as I ever have, and always will. We’ve been awestruck by the strength and love of our precious girls, even as they’ve been trying to make sense of it all for themselves. Our family have also been so supportive and will help us going forward.
"Although this is difficult for us all, I support Phillip in taking this brave step. I will still be there, holding his hand. Everyone should be proud to live their own truth."
Over the years, Phillip enjoyed family holidays with Steph, their two daughters and Holly's family.
Phillip remained close with his estranged wife and two daughters after coming out as gay.
Meanwhile, Phillip shares a close bond with his mother Pat and decided to escape to Cornwall to spend time with her by the seaside following his sudden departure from This Morning.
Speaking about his mother's reaction to him coming out, he previously said: "I went down to see her, she's down in Cornwall, and I went down to see her. And I told her and she said, "Oh, ok, well, I don't care" - and that's the same with everyone."
Phillip has shared many hilarious moments with his mum with fans in recent times including an amusing texting exchange when Pat "had her nails done" and she couldn't type properly "until they're dry".
The texts saw his mum write: "No I know but I hate the…," to which, Phillip instantly replied: "Mess? Loooool. I'll finish your sentence for you." After seeing his message, Pat hit back: "Mess sorry had my nails done now I can't type."
Phillip previously opened up on his mother's "loneliness" following the death of his dad. He said: "I know my mum - we lost my dad in 2008 - she's still saying she's terribly lonely. She looks at other people if they're still couples, and so you need contact, you need a family around you, you need people to be able to talk to if you can, if you're lucky enough to have them around."
