Phillip Schofield is reportedly facing the axe this summer as the latest instalment of This Morning drama rumbles on. As long-timer Phil is said to be at risk of being culled from the show by ITV bosses, his co-host Holly Willoughby is allegedly considering quitting the show as she feels "trapped".
Holly and Phil, who have worked alongside each other in the This Morning studio since 2009, but it looks as though things may have run their course. In the last week, the headlines have been dominated by claims of a falling out between the pair of presenters. As the programme returned after an explosive weekend on Monday, May 15, viewers were left feeling "awkward" and "embarrassed" when they failed to address "the elephant in the room".
A particularly cringe-inducing moment for many viewers was when Holly and Phil sat down with Gyles Brandreth and Camilla Tominey to discuss the hottest headlines, somehow avoiding the wealth of frontpages about them. After swerving rumours of their supposed "feud", it has been claimed that Phil could be forced off the This Morning sofa later this year, along with top producer Martin Frizell, according to The Sun.
Whilst Holly's job is believed to be safe, the presenter, who also works with Phil on Dancing on Ice in the winter months, is said to have been left feeling "trapped" by the crisis. The Mirror reports that the former Celebrity Juice star has also considered moving on from This Morning.
A source told The Sun: "This Morning is preparing for some seismic changes this summer - Phil is lined up as the first major name for the chop when his contract expires this summer. It's highly unlikely he'll be back in September."
Meanwhile, an insider claimed to The Mirror that, whilst Holly loves her job on This Morning, she has been struggling to cope with the sticky situation. "By removing herself from the situation she could protect herself better," they claimed.
After reportedly bringing in his lawyers and a new PR team, Phil is said to be trying to "tough out" the current crisis. It has been speculated that the pair may have fallen out after Phil supposedly failed to tell Holly about his brother's trial for child sex offences.
Phil took some pre-planned leave from the show as the trial took place last month, which saw former Avon and Somerset Police staff member Timothy Schofield found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over the course of three years. In a statement released by Phil's lawyer following the trial, he publicly disowned his brother, stating: "My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family... as far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother."
ITV bosses and Holly were reportedly left unhappy when Phil addressed the rumoured rift in a statement last week, in which he claimed that he and Holly remained "the best of friends", without consulting anyone first. The pair are still yet to acknowledge the situation on-air as their viewing figures tumble, with This Morning losing 170,000 viewers in a week.
MailOnline reports that an average of 726,720 people tuned in for Monday's episode, compared to 894,000 on the same day last week. Peak viewership also fell drastically, resting at 914,000 compared to 1.058 million on May 8.
It is understood that senior figures at ITV held crisis talks after viewers complained about Monday's show on social media. A source told MailOnline: "Social media is used as a barometer to see what the public think.
"Those in charge were left no under no illusion that it was a total disaster. It was painful for the This Morning team to work on and it was just as painful for them to watch.
"There was a meeting afterwards to discuss how it went that went on for some time. To be honest, everyone was just so relieved to get it over with, but even if the show does continue to go on for some time, it will continue to be a massive headache."
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