Holly Willoughby has been snapped holidaying in sunny Portugal with her family just days prior to her This Morning return date. As reported by the Mirror, the mum-of-three was spotted escaping the ITV Philip Schofield drama in the run up to her comeback on the show, which is set to be Monday (June 5).
Pictures obtained by the publication show the 42-year-old smiling while sat at a table with her mother, Linda. The TV star appeared at ease - despite the future of This Morning potentially hanging in the balance - as she dons a straw hat, knitted cardigan and a pair of sunglasses.
Meanwhile, back home, her now-ex co-star Philip has been seen spending some downtime with his mother in Cornwall following his bombshell affair confession last week. On May 26, the ITV presenter admitted to having an affair with a younger colleague - while still married to his wife Stephanie Lowe.
READ MORE: The reason why Phillip Schofield's 'younger' ex-boyfriend has not been named
In a statement, he described it as being "unwise", but "not illegal". It came just days after the 61-year-old sensationally announced he would be leaving This Morning, after 20 years of hosting, on May 20.
The last time Phil presented the daytime show was on May 18, alongside Holly. Their appearance was heavily spoken about as at the time, there were reports of a rift between the two.
Holly went on to tell fans how Phil's 'lies' had 'hurt' her, as she claims her former best friend and co-star kept his affair secret from her. After Phil announced his affair publicly, he was swiftly dropped by ITV and his talent agency.
In response to Phil's statement, Holly said: "When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."
In the days prior to Phil's confession, Holly had commented on his departure, saying: “It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
Holly's time abroad away from the chaos comes as ITV is said to have granted her another weeks worth of holiday after she was already due to take some time off work during half-term. Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary have been filling in as presenters in the meantime, trying to keep the show running as smoothly as possible amid the media attention.
Although it is not known yet who will be presenting the show alongside her, Holly is still scheduled to head back to the This Morning sofa on Monday as planned - and seems to not have any intentions of leaving.
Speaking to the Mirror, a source claims Holly hopes to 'ride out the scandal'. They added: “Holly wants to stay at This Morning as long as she can, and hopes to ride out the scandal. Other stars like Stephen Mulhern are being approached to fill in for Phil when she returns. Some are reluctant to go in and face angry viewers."
“Holly is determined to stay put - the only reason she would leave now is if This Morning is axed. She has absolutely no plans to leave.”
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