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18th May 2023
12:30pm BST
Phillip Schofield is apparently refusing to step down from his This Morning presenting gig.
Amid reports of tensions between Schofield and Holly Willoughby, a source told The Daily Mail that the presenter is refusing to walk away from the show.
They said: "Phil doesn't see why he should go. It's his job, he has steered the show for more than 20 years."
The pair have reportedly gone through multiple 'rough patches' before, but the latest one has caused a rift.
A source told The Mirror: "Holly and Phil have gone through rough patches before like any professional pairing who have worked together for over a decade. Before they have always seemed to move on, but this time it seems different."
The source said Holly loves working on This Morning, but "she has made it clear that should Phil ever leave she would want to stay".
"They are separate entities," the source added.
The team behind This Morning is aware of the rift between them and has noticed the pair drift apart since the queue-skipping scandal and Schofield's brother's court case.
The team is aware that they're not as close as they once were.
The pair drifted apart after Holly found out about Phillip's brother's sexual assault case through a third party.
Schofield's brother Timothy was found guilty of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019.
Holly was said to be annoyed that her “best friend” didn’t tell her what was going on.
After they returned to work following the Easter break, the on-air tension grew and viewers really started to notice a change in the dynamics.
Following reports of a falling out, Phillip made a statement to The Sun saying: “The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us. As I have said before, Holly is my rock.
“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.”
But there were then reports that Holly felt ‘blindsided and deeply upset’ by this statement, and had no idea that Phil was planning to talk.
Following the pair’s return to This Morning for the first time since the rumours of a falling out emerged, ITV bosses reportedly called a “crisis meeting” to address the issue.
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