Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield ‘barely talking’ as friendship ‘cools’

Off-screen chat between the pair has reportedly 'dwindled'

The relationship between the This Morning hosts has apparently "cooled" in recent months.

Together, the pair have presented the popular ITV daytime show for 14 years, but their relationship has reportedly come under strain, and Holly is said to have distanced herself from Phil.

A source said: “Holly adores This Morning and for the first time in 14 years she has made it clear that should Phil ever leave she would want to stay. They are separate entities.

“To those around them on set, it has become clear recently that Holly and Phil are not as close as they once were,“ they told The Sun.

“Professionally you would have no idea there was anything going on because on camera they are acting exactly the same. But behind the scenes, their relationship has cooled."

The insider has claimed there used to be plenty of off-screen chat and banter between the pair, but it has since “dwindled“.

Holly joined This Morning in 2009 when she replaced Fern Britton and over the years her and Phil have developed an incredibly close friendship and bond.

But events of the last year have apparently put increasing strain on their relationship.

The pair were at the centre of controversy last year when they were accused of skipping the queue for the Queen's lying in state, a saga that is said to have left Holly "devastated".

And Phil has been dealing with his own personal issues in recent weeks following the trial of his brother Timothy, who was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenager.

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