Phillip Schofield was left cutting a lonely figure as he was left to 'hold the fort' on This Morning. Before the ITV daytime show was back on air on Wednesday (May 17), Holly Willoughby confirmed that she would be taking early leave from the show.
But it comes amid claims the presenting duo, who have fronted the show together for 14 years, are 'barely speaking' behind the scenes. All eyes have been on Holly, 42, and Phillip, 61, as they continued to put on a united front and were seen together on the popular programme on Monday (May 15) for the first time since the latter issued a statement on their friendship.
Before This Morning aired on Wednesday, Holly stuck with her usual tradition of sharing a posing snap to Instagram, showing off her outfit before appearing live on-screen from the London-based studio. "Morning Wednesday… see you on @thismorning at 10am," she started the caption of her post to her millions of followers.
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The mum-of-three looked gorgeous in a pale yellow gown which she twirled around as she posed for the camera. "The lovely @suranne_jones joins us today," she continued before confirming her early exit: "I’m scootleing (is that a word) off early today to head to the Palace for the @princestrust … got my bested dress on! #hwstyle dress by @beulahlondon."
Then appearing on the live show at 10am, the Prince’s Trust ambassador, explained that she'd be leaving early as she would be "introducing" the winners of the Prince's Trust Awards, which took place on Tuesday (May 16) with Holly giving out one of the gongs, to the new King.
The annual event recognises young people who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and had a positive impact on their local community.
Holly told This Morning viewers: "I put my posh dress on today because later on this afternoon I am heading to Buckingham Palace and there the King will be, and we get to introduce the award winners to the King so he can say well done, which is all quite exciting isn’t it?"
Phillip, 61, then said he was "holding the fort" before Holly responded with a "thank you". Later in the show, as Holly made her quick exit, they shared an embrace and she told Phillip: "Don’t be naughty … and save me a piece of cake," as Juliet Sear was set to appear in the kitchen.
Earlier, the pair were seen discussing the latest news headlines with guest panellists and while talking about the Princess of Wales revealing that she “had to learn” how to be a royal when she joined a Dame Kelly Holmes Trust event in Bath on Tuesday, Vanessa Feltz told the pair: "I was really lucky yesterday because I was invited to one of the Buckingham Palace gardens."
Impressed, Holly said that Vanessa was "so lucky," before Phillip jokingly asked: "Where’s our invite?" due to Holly's own planned visit to the royal residence in central London, which prompted the team to laugh at his comment before Holly moved the conversation along.
As Holly left, This Morning viewers quickly flocked to social media. @kay__tweets said: "Omg what tf is going on #ThisMorning." @missingmenose joked: "Ayup, hollys done a runner #thismorning."
The news comes amid reports of a rift between the pair, who have presented the show together since 2009. The co-hosts of ITV’s Dancing On Ice have been open about their close friendship over the years, which has included sharing pictures on social media of them while on joint holidays with their families.
After reports of the pair’s relationship coming under strain, last week, Schofield said in a statement to The Sun that Holly is his "rock". He added: “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. And I’ve been there for her. The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us."
Phillip took pre-planned leave from the show around his brother’s sex abuse trial at Exeter Crown Court last month. In April, Holly also took time off from the ITV morning programme due to having the painful rash shingles, which is caused by the same virus as chickenpox.
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