Never end it over text…
Phillip Schofield has been on a tumultuous journey since being ousted from ITV for having an affair with a young member of staff.
The former presenter has since been making headlines after featuring in a three-part series laying all bare on a desert island.
In the wake of many revelations, people and friends of people involved in the matter have been chiming in on the situation, notably those close to Schofield’s former co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
Now it has been revealed by a friend of Willoughby just how the pair’s apparent close friendship came to end, accusing Schofield of cutting ties over text.
As reported by The Mirror, The friend claimed that Schofield was upset with Willoughby for not coming to his aid as his career fell to pieces, telling her: “You brought me down.”
Allegedly he slammed Willoughby on WhatsApp the day before the public found out he had been dismissed from his job at This Morning.
A friend of Willoughby said: “As well as saying she had brought him down, he said he couldn’t believe his TV sister would do this to him.”
After reports that the pair had fallen out after his brother’s court case in May 2023, Schofield blamed Willoughby for not publicly backing him in an attempt to diffuse claims in the media they had fallen out.
This friend suggested that the lack of support between the pair began Schofield’s decline who believed their beloved on-screen chemistry had visibly dissipated.
They said: “He feels it was a simple gesture that might have saved his job and her refusal to do so effectively finished him off. Believing in the TV chemistry was the bedrock of the This Morning format.”
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Reportedly Willoughby was reluctant to “feed the narrative”, however ITV bosses did not want her to respond publicly.
Following Schofield’s WhatsApp outburst to Willoughby, she replied saying she was in the dark about the situation, however, Schofield was so upset he later messaged two senior ITV bosses to complain about his co-star.
He allegedly believed Willoughby and an ITV boss had staged a “very well constructed coup” against him.
A source said: “Phillip considered her a friend, his TV sister as he called her, and always backed her, even recommending her to do the jungle. Her lack of public support was a low blow in his eyes.”
Reportedly Phillip and his management were unhappy with Willoughby’s side who claimed she was kept in the dark about his brother’s court case.
The friend admitted this was uncorrected by her team and said that this was not true as she knew a month after Schofield’s brother’s arrest and had been “really supportive of what he was going through.”
The Schofield saga continues.