Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were briefly 'replaced' on This Morning today - by a robot.
Phil was forced to present alone yesterday for half an hour when Holly had to leave early to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace to introduce the King to the Prince's Trust Award winners. Whilst Phil missed out, Holly was on hand to celebrate the award winners' successes and she dashed off across the capital on a motorbike mid-show.
The pair were reunited again today, and Holly couldn't stop gushing about how exciting her day was, explaining how great it was as Phil listened on. However, the show was actually opened by a robot.
The robot welcomed everyone to the show today, before it was seen standing alongside Holly and Phil as they confirmed they'd be interviewing the robot later on in the programme as well as some of their usual guests and segments.
There have been reports of the pair being locked in a 'feud' as their friendship has 'cooled' outside of the show.
Phil issued a bombshell statement where he said the pair had had a tough few days but that their friendship remained strong, as he shared: "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.
"I’ve been there for her. The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us. 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."
Sources confirmed to The Mirror that both ITV and Holly thought the statement had made things worse.
"This Morning’s relationship with its viewers is built on trust, and they have to believe that Holly and Phil’s friendship, and what they’re watching, is real. While there was a bit of noise and speculation about their relationship cooling, it could have been ignored," they said.
"But by putting this statement out there, he has turned what was a manageable situation into a feeding frenzy. If viewers now no longer believe in the pair, and make their views clear next week, make no mistake, ITV will act."
The insider added: "Phil’s position is looking increasingly precarious. Monday is very much D-day, but the same could apply to any day next week. No one is bigger than the brand. Yes, they aren’t as chummy as before, but any suggestion they were at loggerheads and not talking off-air was false. But despite not meaning to, Phil’s public statement has now created this perception."
