This Morning viewers were left "cringing" as Phillip Schofield was left presenting the show alone today. As the This Morning crisis continues following the supposed "cooling of Phil's friendship with Holly Willoughby, the pair of presenters returned for a Wednesday morning instalment today (May 17).
As the show kicked off from the ITV Studios in London, Phil, 61, confirmed that his "rock" would be leaving the set at midday for a very special reason. 42-year-old Holly, who reportedly feels "trapped" and is said to be reconsidering her future on This Morning, attended The Prince's Trust Awards last night.
After attending the event, aimed at recognising young people who have succeeded against the odds to have a positive impact on the local community, Holly had to finish her This Morning presenting duties early to dash off to Buckingham Palace. "I've put on my posh dress today because later on this afternoon I am heading to Buckingham Palace and there the King will be," she told viewers.
Read more: Eamonn Holmes defends himself amid Phillip Schofield 'witch hunt' as This Morning crisis continues
"We get to introduce the award winners to the King so he can say well done, which is all quite exciting isn't it?" Phil then interrupted: "You're off midday-ish and I'm holding the fort.
"No problem. It's fine."
As midday rolled around, This Morning viewers were left "cringing" as Holly left the set to spend the afternoon with the King. Before walking away from the show, Holly embraced Phil and gave him two kisses on the cheek.
Twelly Watcher wrote on Twitter: "That hug and kiss- oh wow that takes the title for the definition of cringe." "Two little cheek kisses." said Tony Green. "Absolutely Oscar performances. The best acting moment yet."
The latest instalment of This Morning came amid reports that Phil is "highly unlikely" to return to the show in September, with his contract set to expire this summer. Whilst Holly's job is considered safe, the former Celebrity Juice star is said to be feeling "trapped" by the crisis, and has left her considering whether she should leave the show behind.
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