Phillip Schofield's £1million We Buy Any Car deal has been dropped after five years.
It comes after fans noticed the firm removing pictures of Phillip from their social media pages following the 'Queuegate'. Phillip and his This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby were falsely accused of skipping the queue to see the late Queen's coffin last week, sparking outrage amongst ITV viewers and leading to a petition urging bosses to sack them from the daytime show.
Now, We Buy Any Car have said Phil's contract has come to an end - but that it is unrelated to the Queue-gate.
A spokesperson for webuyanycar said of the change of posters: “Webuyanycar and Phillip Schofield agreed earlier this year that the webuyanycar/Phillip Schofield campaign would come to an end in 2022, having worked together for over five years. The decision was made prior to any recent stories regarding Phillip.”
The duo have since been viciously trolled on social media and a petition calling for them to be sacked has received more than 75,000 signatures, despite ITV clarifying they did not jump the line and were at Westminster Hall in a professional capacity.
"The We Buy Any Car ads are among the most regularly shown on telly – everyone knows them and the little tune that goes with it, and Phillip has been on them since 2018," a source told The Sun.
"It’s a massive deal, worth seven figures, but next week they’re shooting a new campaign and he’s not involved in it. There’s clearly a feeling within the company that he’s just not the right fit for the future and his contract will be allowed to expire. It has been a very successful partnership but it’s time for a change."
Our sister title, The Mirror has contacted Phillip Schofield's reps and We Buy Any Car for comment. Amid the fallout from Queue-gate, Holly and Phil are keen to attend the National Television Awards but there are fears that they could be booed by the crowds waiting outside.
Despite reports that ITV are aware that the NTAs could pose "risks" for the hosts and that there will be "measures" put in place, a source has told the Mirror: "They are coming as they do each year. No extra personnel." Holly and Phil haven't missed the NTAs in years and while they regret any offence caused, they insist that they haven't done anything wrong.
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