This Morning viewers have rushed to Holly Willoughby’s defence after her statement addressing Phillip Schofield’s scandal was branded “insincere” and “Oscar-worthy”.
Willoughby, 42, returned to the show on Monday, two weeks after the shock departure of her former co-host and the revelation of his affair with a younger ITV male employee.
Directly addressing viewers, she began: “Deep breath,” before admitting it felt strange being on the series without her former colleague.
The TV star continued: “Firstly, are you ok? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil...
“I imagine you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on. And full of questions.
“You, me, and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career they loved.
“That is a lot to process, and it’s equally hard to see the toll that it has taken on their own mental health,” Willoughby added.
“I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal – for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
“From my heart, can I say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and every single person who works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love.”
Willoughby then turned to her new co-host Josie Gibson and said: “On that note...” before Gibson pulled her in for a hug.
Following her statement, many took to social media to brand it “insincere”, “Oscar-worthy”, “fake” and an “acting fail”.
Amid the onslaught of negativity directed at the presenter, This Morning viewers rushed to her defence on Twitter and insisted she would have “been vilifed” no matter what she did.
One penned: “Let's be honest, no matter what Holly Willoughby said in her statement on This Morning and no matter how she said it, she will have been vilified.”
“If you don’t believe Holly Willoughby, then change the channel,” another shared on Twitter. “Not that hard. I for one, support her 100% and wish her the best in what is a tough situation.”
Let's be honest, no matter what Holly Willoughby said in her statement on This Morning and no matter how she said it, she will have been villified.
— Sarah Wyatt (@MuseumGeekGirl) June 5, 2023
If you don’t believe Holly Willoughby, then change the channel. Not that hard. I for one, support her 100% and wish her the best in what is a tough situation. #ThisMorning
— Scott Thompson (@scott_thompson1) June 5, 2023
A third added: “Why is there such a witch hunt for Holly Willoughby? You'd think she was on trial for murder with some of the tweets I’m seeing”.
“I think I’m in the minority here, but well done Holly Willoughby for coming back and for making a statement, because let’s face it, that can’t have been easy. Let the ITV investigation take place, make sure everything was legal and we need to move on now,” another viewer wrote.
A fan noted: “The vitriol being flung at Holly Willoughby is quite frankly disturbing. Draw a halt to it.”
“I felt everything she said was carefully worded but was very genuine she’s clearly upset so let’s not start the barrage of hate again. She has her own life family and career to think about no matter how much she loves [Phillip Schofield] so move on,” another tweeted.
A viewer wrote: “People need to leave Holly Willoughby alone. Why does everyone constantly think they deserve statements from people and say it’s not good enough? She said she was lied to, accept it. Phillip Schofield admitted he lied to her. Stop attacking people who aren’t involved.”
Another insisted: “This witch hunt on Holly Willoughby needs to stop. Seeing some disgusting things people are saying and people jumping on bandwagons. It’s Phillip Schofield’s scandal, not hers.”
Why is there such a witch hunt for Holly Willoughby? You'd think she was on trial for murder with some of the tweets I'm seeing 😳#thismorning
— Ben (@BenC_91) June 5, 2023
I felt everything she said was carefully worded but was very genuine she’s clearly upset so let’s not start the barrage of hate again She has her own life family and career to think about no matter how much she loves @Schofe #HollyWilloughby @hollywills #thismorning so move on
— Chris Şahin (@chrisahin) June 5, 2023
The social media commentary comes after Schofield said he “didn’t tell anybody” about his affair with his former This Morning colleague, confirming Willoughby “did not know” in a tell-all interview with BBC’s Amol Rajan.
Similarly in his interview with the Sun, the 61-year-old presenter apologised to Willoughby for lying to her about his relationship, saying: “I’ve lost my best friend”.
The duo, who had presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted Dancing On Ice before Schofield resigned from ITV, had been open about their close friendship over the years.
Willoughby’s return comes as the ITV show has been plagued by allegations of “toxicity”, including from former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who has alleged there was a “total cover-up” over the Schofield affair.
The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, also hit out at a “toxic” culture, saying he raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
People need to leave Holly Willoughby alone. Why does everyone constantly think they deserve statements from people & say it’s not good enough? She said she was lied to, accept it. Phillip Schofield admitted he lied to her. Stop attacking people who aren’t involved. #ThisMorning
— PLANET RAYE 🎱 (@planetraye) June 5, 2023
In a letter from ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall to Parliament on Wednesday, she said an external review conducted following a complaint made by Dr Ranj found “no evidence of bullying or discrimination”.
Meanwhile, former This Morning head of news Emily Maddick, who worked on the show from September to December 2019, claimed she quit the programme due to “bullying, sexism and a toxic culture of fear and intimidation”.
On Saturday, This Morning editor Martin Frizell told a Sky News reporter to “read between the lines” amid claims of toxicity, adding: “I think there’s some scores being settled.”
Dame Carolyn has been called to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.
On Wednesday, she confirmed the broadcaster had instructed barrister Jane Mulcahy KC of Blackstone Chambers to carry out an external review of the facts.
