Holly Willoughby reacts to Phillip Schofield calling her a 'witch' for not stepping in during affair scandal
8 October 2024, 19:49 | Updated: 8 October 2024, 20:02
Holly Willoughby “couldn’t care less” about the claims that Phillip Schofield called her a “witch”, after he blamed her for his This Morning downfall, according to reports.
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Schofield was axed from the ITV show last May, following an "unwise" affair with a younger male colleague.
He subsequently accused Willoughby of not stepping in to help as the scandal unfolded and now refers to his once close friend Holly as "the witch", according to the Mirror.
Despite these claims, a friend of Willoughby has now insisted she "couldn't care less."
The friend told The Sun: "Holly isn't batting an eyelid at this, it's like she couldn't care less. Phil is coming across as incredibly bitter.
"Holly knows who her friends are and they're the people she pays attention to."
Just a day before his removal from the show was made public, Schofield is said to have reached out to his "TV sister", reports say.
After she didn't provide the backing he was after, the disgraced presenter allegedly sent a text which said: "You brought me down."
A friend told the publication: "As well as saying she had brought him down, he said he couldn’t believe his TV sister would do this to him."
The insider revealed that Phil now refers to his once close friend Holly as "the witch" and reportedly now uses a witch emoji in reference to his former co-star.
Read more: Revealed: Phillip Schofield's bombshell message to Holly Willoughby amid affair scandal
Schofield is understood to have asked her for a public show of support such as a statement or picture of them together.
However, his pleas were ignored.
The lack of support meant their time co-hosting together would be over as viewers would no longer believe their on-screen chemistry, the friend claimed.
"He feels it was a simple gesture that might have saved his job and her refusal to do so effectively finished him off," they said.
"Believing in the TV chemistry was the bedrock of the This Morning format."
They went on to say: "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."
Willoughby allegedly told Schofield that she did not want to "feed the narrative".
Schofield was so upset that he complained to two senior TV bosses about her, the friend claimed.
The 62-year-old previously admitted to the secret affair but has strongly denied accusations of grooming.
He addressed the scandal during a three-part series called Cast Away - which also marked his shock return to TV just 16 months after being axed.
The show saw Schofield sent to a tropical island for 10 days with a handful of cameras.
It was intended to allow him to "confront the challenges of total isolation, the forces of nature, and provide the time to battle within his own mind as he explores his own controversial story".
