Part of the appeal with Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby's partnership on the screen is the fact that they have always seemed so close off screen too. They have been pictured laughing at Ascot together, sit beside each other at Wimbledon and have gone on holidays with their families to Portugal at the same time.
She credits him with getting her the job on This Morning, insisting the then 28-year-old join him at the helm when Fern Britton announced she was quitting.
But if the growing rumours are true, behind the scenes that friendship is going through a difficult patch and pressure appears to be growing on the former childrens' presenter who has been fronting the flagship morning programme since 2002.
It is not the first time there has been rumours of difficulties and they have got through it before so only time will tell what will happen.
Brought to the popular daytime sofa to replace John Leslie, Phil went on to present with Fern Britton for the next seven years. On screen, they too appeared to be the best of friends, but after her departure there were constant hints that all had not been so rosy.
She was said to have fallen out with Phil after her friends claimed she felt "undervalued by ITV " and that she was "living in Phil's shadow".
In his autobiography, Life Is What You Make It, Phil addressed a blazing row he had with Fern, which he believes was the final nail in the coffin.
He said he argued with Fern in a makeup room in 2009 over the content of a show – and was "stunned" when she accused him of "meddling."
The frost reportedly thawed between the pair, but this week amidst the rumours that all was not well between Phil and Holly, Fern appeared to post a loaded comment on Twitter saying she had had the “loveliest catch up” with Phil's rival Eamonn Holmes, just hours after the GB News presenter took aim at the under-fire star.
Former ITV star Eamonn, who used to present This Morning on Fridays with his wife Ruth Langsford, piped up with his own opinion on the rumours on his GB News show.
He cheekily said Holly and Phil should have been recognised at Sunday night's BAFTA TV Awards for the 'best actor' award.
Speaking on his show on Monday morning, he said: "I think there should have been a special award for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby for best actors. They may or may not be together on the telly today. The public surely will suss that there's no chemistry, that it's a broken fit between the two of them and that This Morning does not depend on who presents it.
"It's an institution, it will carry on no matter who presents it and anyone can check the viewing figures, there's no difference between whether they present it or anyone else."
It was claimed as far back as 2019 that Phil's behaviour behind the scenes was ruffling feathers, with Ruth Langsford reportedly angry that he had interrupted her live on air.
He also came under criticism from fellow ITV star Amanda Holden, who claimed Phil "cost" her a presenting role on This Morning - because he had branded her "hard to manage." The 61-year-old defended himself saying he hoped that his fans "know him better".
Amanda made no secret of her dislike of Phil, who she blamed for scuppering her chance of hosting the flagship show while Holly was away in Australia hosting I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! when Ant stayed back in the UK
The Britain's Got Talent judge was said to have landed her dream job on a temporary basis - but the offer was withdrawn after Phil allegedly told ITV bosses he didn't want her sharing his sofa. Holly's role ended up being given to former pop star Rochelle Humes, 29.
It 2019, Phil and after Amanda's word there were rumours about his workplace conduct, but they were dismissed as "malicious gossip" by the broadcaster.
This Morning editor Martin Frizell hit back at claims that Phillip and Holly's friendship was strained then too saying they had a "genuine friendship".
At the time he added: "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."
This time round, Phil felt compelled to issue a statement, telling The Sun: "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. The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.”
And there has been support too from the likes of fellow presenter Lorraine Kelly who revealed she believes it would be "sad" for their This Morning partnership to end - but believes they will continue to host together.
Phil first gained national attention working on the BBC as a continuity childrens' presenter based in The Broom Cupboard puppet Gordon the Gopher from 1985 to 1987.
He left to present Going Live! on Saturday mornings for six years before moving to ITV to present various programmes in the early 1990s including Schofield's Quest, Ten Ball and Talking Telephone Number. But his big break came again when he was chosen to be the new host of This Morning in 2002, and then signed an exclusive deal with ITV in July 2006 said to be worth £5million.
He has also co-hosted Dancing on Ice with Holly and in February 2020 it was her who read out a statement from Phil and interviewed him when he announced that he is gay. Holly said on that show: "I've never been more proud of my friend."
In 2021, the flagship daytime show scored its highest ratings in 19 years with upwards of 1.9m viewers tuning in.
Sources were saying that Holly and Phil were helping the show hit “massive heights”, as well as a boost ratings from the addition of Alison Hammond as the new Friday host.
A source told Entertainment Daily at the time: "There is no doubt that under her and Phillip’s stewardship the show is hitting massive heights."
But since then there has been criticism for the pair for not joining The Queue with the public, when filming for This Morning at the lying in state of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall
ITV said that they were escorted from the press gallery by government staff, and did not file past the Queen's coffin. Social media users contrasted this against the actions of other celebrities such as David Beckham and Susanna Reid who queued for many hours with members of the general public.
And it has been reported Holly was "deeply upset" over the public statement about their friendship and it's been alleged the father-of-two kept Holly in the dark over his brother Timothy facing child sex offences, of which he was found guilty and will be sentenced next week.
In April his younger brother Timothy Schofield, 54, was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child.
In a statement following the conviction, Phil said: “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.
“And of course, Holly has herself been ill with shingles. Whatever happens, we still have each other to count on.”
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