'It's been very hurtful.' The Phillip and Holly morning telly drama just got even more complicated.

For those scrolling through TikTok and pondering questions like 'What is a Phillip Schofield?' and 'Why are they feuding with a Holly Willoughby?', please grab a cup of tea immediately, because we have things to discuss.

I have no formal qualifications to walk you through this very British scandal, other than that I am very British myself. And therefore I am genetically dialled into British daytime television kerfuffles – even from 10,000 miles away.

And this kerfuffle is the kerfuffliest I've ever seen. 

There's been a shock resignation, rumours of incessant fighting, a confirmed affair, an alleged lie and the 'divorce' of one of the most loved TV couples of all time. And those are only the headlines from this week.

So, let's get into the mayhem that is this Great British daytime telly scandal. One saucy question at a time.

Firstly, who are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby?

Great question. 

They are British daytime telly royalty who have been hosting This Morning together for 13 years. The show is overwhelmingly wholesome, covering topics like cooking hacks, feel-good family stories and news and opinions as and when they bubble up in public conversation. It's aired on ITV, which is one of the biggest TV channels (outside of the BBC) in Britain – meaning they have a pretty large audience tuning in to watch them every morning.

I believe that Holly and Phil are the longest-standing daytime telly 'couple' in the UK – and by 'couple' I don't mean of the romantic variety. They are work wives to one another and are famed for their friendly chemistry on the show.

To translate their vibe to Australians, they are kinda PG version of a Kyle and Jackie O, or a Lisa and Karl from back in the day. 

One of their most memorable on-screen moments together was actually when they rocked up to their usual morning shift following a night out at the National Television Awards in 2016. The pair were visibly drunk and VERY giggly – making for a hilarious episode where they attempted to keep a straight face while reading through the morning headlines. 

Watch: Phillip and Holly as giggly drunks live on air on This Morning. Post continues after video.

The two are well-loved within the UK, and drummed up solid ratings – with This Morning consistently taking the top spot for breakfast shows. A rare feat for a programme with such few controversies and no inflammatory hosts. 

The biggest headlines the two have generated during their time on This Morning hit in 2020 when Phillip Schofield came out as gay. At the time Phillip was still married to his wife, Stephanie Lowe, with whom he has two daughters (Molly and Ruby). Shortly after his announcement, Phillip moved out of the family home in Oxfordshire and into his own place in London. 

Phillip and Stephanie are still legally married and appear to have no plans to divorce. 

Throughout that time – when Phil endured a lot of derogatory comments – Holly was his biggest supporter. She covered for him when he needed time away from the show, and when he was back they were a strong united front. 

Holly even interviewed Phillip in a special episode about his sexuality, telling him: "I will be by your side forever." Before sharing a photo of the two of them on Instagram with the caption: "Never been more proud of my friend than I am today."

But that united front may be crumbling now...

Are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby fighting?

There's a lot of speculation surrounding the two right now – particularly in the wake of Phillip's announcement that he has left This Morning, effective immediately. 

His statement about his departure was this.

"I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story. Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind. I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can't go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love. So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future."

This Morning. Image: ITV.

As British tabloids tend to do, the instant theory splashed across newspapers was that the resignation was thanks to ongoing bickering between Holly and Phillip. 

Fans were quick to criticise Holly's statement of Phillip's departure as being 'cold' and dismissing their 13-year friendship.

Here's her statement in full from last week so you can make up your own mind about it.

"Hi everyone... It's been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour.

"This sofa won't feel the same without him."

Phillip Schofield admits to sleeping with a "younger" male staff member. 

After quitting ITV, the morning news anchor has admitted to having an affair with a younger male ITV employee.

Phillip said the relationship with his junior colleague was "unwise but not illegal" and revealed in a statement he "met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television".

He apologised for lying to colleagues, employers, the media and the public.

An ITV spokesperson said they were "deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit" made by the ex-morning show host and confirmed it had cut all ties with the host.

The TV presenter was still married to his wife Stephanie Lowe at the time of the relationship. They separated in 2020, after Phillip came out as gay.

In a statement, he said he was "so, very, very sorry" for being unfaithful to his wife, and for lying to his colleagues, agents, employers, friends, the media and the public.

The TV host said he would reflect on his "very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it".

An ITV spokesperson said: "The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Phillip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down."

In his full statement, he told the Daily Mail, "I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.

"Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.

"When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody 'forced' me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me.

"In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven't been truthful about the relationship. But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now."

Holly Willoughby says she was lied to by Phillip Schofield.

Soon after Phillip confirmed the affair, Holly released a statement of her own via her Instagram stories.

She said: "When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."

The statement from Holly regarding her co-star's affair. Image: Instagram.

Who is Eamonn Holmes and what has he said about Phillip Schofield?

Eamonn Holmes once upon a time was the host of This Morning, along with his wife Ruth Holmes, and the pair had previously filled as cover for Phil and Holly. 

Eamonn is a happy, Irish man who rarely gets that fired up about anything, however, he's certainly having the prickliest response to the Phillip Schofield scandal. 

Since news broke of Phil's departure from This Morning, Eamonn has been on a bit of a Twitter warpath.

So far we've had two Tweets from the man and he's retweeted a whole lot more – making his stance on the scandal very clear: He is not a fan of Phil.

After Phillip released his statement on Instagram, Eamonn said:

"Schofield has just put out a delusional statement. Like Holly he puts it on Insta Stories so if it goes wrong there is no record after 24 hrs. I'm reluctant to give the liar any more publicity but believe me Pip if u r looking for a fight, you have picked on the wrong person!"

Followers were quick to call out Eamonn and re-share footage of Eamonn and Ruth comforting and supporting Phil during the episode where he addressed his sexuality. 

Eamonn has replied to these shares declaring that he was "deceived and lied to" in that moment.

Ruth and I deceived and lied to . One day I willl tell the story. We had no issue with him being Gay, only support. What transpired took us for fools . The man told us complete lies and we unfortunately believed him. https://t.co/QL9rAcaueZ

— Eamonn Holmes OBE (@EamonnHolmes) May 26, 2023

What has Dan Wootton said about Phillip Schofield?

Wootton has plonked himself right into the centre of the Phil and Holly mayhem, running non-stop commentary about what he thinks should or shouldn't have happened. He's also claimed that he warned ITV (the network that host This Morning) of Phillip's allegedly inappropriate behaviour as far back as 2019.

I told ITV about Phillip Schofield's affair with his young colleague in 2019 and urged them to investigate but they dismissed it as 'malicious gossip'.
What followed looks like nothing short of a cover-up.
My new @MailOnline column https://t.co/smCRu7z2d9

— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) May 27, 2023

It seems Dan's malice towards Phil is hooked on his relationship with a younger male colleague. This is a relationship that Phillip admits he kept a secret, but that it was a consensual relationship. Both Dan and Eamonn seem to sit on the side of the fence that labels this relationship as something much more sinister.

Who is Timothy Schofield? And what has he got to do with Phillip and Holly?

An additional player in this daytime TV drama is Timothy Schofield. First name doesn't ring a bell? Well, that's understandable. But he is Phillip Schofield's brother.

Why he's relevant to the story is because Timothy has been in court after being accused of multiple counts of child sexual activity.

Timothy Schofield was found guilty of "emotionally blackmailing" a teen into sex acts and forcing him to watch porn at Exeter Crown Court on April 3, 2023. Schofield was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity and three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. He was also found guilty of three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child.

While these crimes have nothing to do with Phillip, the TV host took time away from This Morning to appear in court during his brother's trial in March. He also released a statement at the time, publicly condemning Timothy.

"These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother," he said on social media.

Following his time away from the show, Phillip took the time to thank Holly for her friendship, 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."

So how did we get here? To a resignation and TV divorce?

This is the blurrier part of this British TV narrative because as you've just read.

Was this just a classic morning TV push-out? Perhaps the perfect storm formed with a slight drop in ratings (which is across the board on daytime telly), Phil's connection to his brother's court case and a call for a shakeup at the station.

If the tabloids are anything to go off, it seems that Phil was "blindsided" by the news  – supposedly given an ultimatum just minutes after being on air. He allegedly consulted his wife and mother before "agreeing" (read: making the best out of a bad hand) to step away from the show. 

Most likely now, it's the confirmation of the affair and the context around it that has led to Phillip's exit. 

I'll be turning on Google alerts for everyone in the thick of this chaos, so I can update you when anything else erupts. Until then, I hope the rest of your day has less overseas daytime TV drama. But, no promises.

This story was originally published on May 22, 2023 and updated on May 30, 2023. 

Image: Getty + Mamamia.

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