Some social media users speculated that Phil was dumped over Queuegate
Phillip Schofield's £1million We Buy Any Car deal has come to an end after five years, it has been confirmed.
After We Buy Any Car removed the This Morning presenter's images from their social media profile this week, some speculated that it might have something to do with 'Queuegate'.
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Phil and his co-presenter,
Holly Willoughby, were accused of skipping the line to see the late Queen's funeral ahead of her September 19 funeral. The controversy led to a petition urging ITV bosses to sack the pair from the daytime show and as of Saturday morning it has clocked up over
77,000 signatures.
We Buy Any Car has since confirmed Phil's contract has come to an end, concluding a five-year deal. The company also made clear it had nothing to do with recent events.
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 Sun earlier quoted a source as saying: "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.
"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."
Several media reports suggested the deal was worth £1m.
ITV bosses recently reassured This Morning viewers that Phil and Holly's jobs on the show were secure following the queue jumping scandal, with Dame Carolyn McCall, the chief executive of ITV, saying the pair had been "misrepresented".
Speaking at the RTS London Convention, Dame Carolyn was asked what the presenting duo did wrong, to which she responded: "Honestly, nothing. Honestly. They did have accreditation. "Lots of people saying they didn’t. They were sent by This Morning to do a piece for September 20, which ran.
"They were to interview people inside and outside. They didn’t displace anyone in the queue. And they’ve been very misrepresented, actually." She added: "And that’s why we made a statement. Unusually, we made a statement to say all of those things. "But it does show you how things spread and how misinformation just spreads. And it is really horrible for them."
