Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were nowhere to be seen as This Morning started on Thursday, with a 'replacement' appearing on screen after opening titles rolled.
Over the last week, the ITV presenters have been blighted by rumours of a 'feud' between them, with rumours suggesting that they are nowhere near as close away from cameras as they used to be. It's been well documented over the years that Phillip and Holly have been firm friends, as well as spending five days a week with each other on the This Morning set, as well as hosting Dancing on Ice together.
Phillip released a statement in response to speculation that things had turned fristy between himself and his famous co-presenter, admitting that 'things hadn't been easy' for either of them, but adding that Holly had been his 'rock' through tough times.
READ MORE: Holly Willoughby exits This Morning forcing Phillip Schofield to host alone
The has been no sign of any feud between the pair, with them appearing all smiles on screen so far this week, as odds were slashed on Phillip leaving This Morning as early as the end of this week. They even shared a brief embrace on the sofa on Wednesday, as Holly left the studio early to head to Buckingham Palace for a Prince's Trust engagement.
Fans of the hosts were startled at the very beginning of Thursday's live show, with Holly and Phillip briefly missing in action as a robot delivered the opening link, telling viewers at home: "There's so much coming up on the show today, so I can't wait for you to hear all about it."
The camera then panned out to reveal a rather taken aback Phillip and Holy sitting next to the robot, with Phillip admitting: "The hairs on the back of my neck just went up," as Holly explained: "This is Ameca, the world's most advanced robot. And they will be joining us on the sofa later on."
She added: "It is amazing, it's slightly freaking me out, I'm not going to lie."
Moments later, during a discussion with guest Sonia Sodah, both Sonia and Holly admitted they were scared robots like Ameca would end up taking their jobs.
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