Archive May 1, 2025

When things started to go wrong, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were once the best friends in the industry, friends both on and off the screen, and there is no doubt about it.

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who fronted more than one primetime show together, were the TV’s “golden couple” a few years ago. As well as hosting iconic daytime series This Morning together for over 14 years, the pair dazzled as co-hosts of Saturday evening show Dancing On Ice – back when it commanded millions of viewers.

Phillip and Holly’s natural onscreen chemistry, which frequently caused them to giggle, was a testament to their genuine friendship, which was remarkable in the shark-infested waters of the competitive television industry.

After frequently winning awards at the annual National TV Awards, the pair would often show up in ITV studios red-eyed and arriving worse for wear. But the personal friendship and professional partnership all came crashing down on May 18, 2023. Since their most recent performance together, they haven’t been seen together in public.

The Mirror looks at the sad demise of what was once the most solid of professional and personal partnerships.

Phil quits and admits ‘ I’ve lost my best friend ‘

It was May last year when the TV world was rocked as 63-year-old Phillip dramatically “quit” This Morning after admitting to lying about an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair’ with a 20-year-old runner on the programme.

Along with the scandal, rumors about the alleged conflict between the former best friends started to spread. Following allegations that they had queue-jumped while watching the late Queen Elizabeth II lay in state at Westminster Hall in September 2022, they were subjected to criticism.

Matters between the pair appeared to escalate when Holly, 44, released a statement saying she was left feeling “hurt” after Phil’s “lies” came to light. In a bombshell interview with the BBC, Phil spoke about his last text to Holly before ties were severed.

“The last time we had a conversation was when I texted Holly and said, ‘ Don’t reply ‘ – this was after the statement last week – ‘ Don’t reply, you’re probably not allowed to, but I am deeply deeply sorry that I lied to you. I am, too. He added that he had “lost my best friend” and that the incident “was the one secret in our sanctuary that was never mentioned.”

Addressing rumours that the mum-of-three knew about the affair, Phillip said: “Holly did not know. And she was one of my first texts to express my regret for lying to you. She didn’t respond, and I am aware of why. So yeah. That is absolutely, wholly false if anyone is attempting to link Holly to this in any way.

Sex abuse scandal involving Phil’s brother

On May 19 2023 Phil’s brother Timothy was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of sexually abusing a vulnerable teenage boy over a three-year period. Initially Holly was reportedly furious that Phil kept her in the dark about the trial.

A friend told the Mirror: “There is a narrative – uncorrected by Holly’s team – that she was blindsided by news of his brother’s court case and was furious with him for keeping her in the dark about it.

‘But that narrative couldn’t be further from the truth.’

But when it became ‘bad for her brand’, it is understood Holly quickly turned her back on the former This Morning star when Timothy went on trial in May.

Phil’s bitterness

Phil initially stated that he comprehended Holly’s distance.

He told The Sun:” Quite rightly, when I am in the middle of a s*** show with bad press over something where I have done nothing wrong – in fact, I did everything right – it’s a witch hunt. And that eliminates that. She will take a step back and say, “I have to step back from this,” and I fully understand that.

But Holly’s apparent disinterest in patching things up appears to have caused an even wider rift, with Phil making some veiled jibes at his former friend and co-host in the 2024 Channel 5 show Cast Away.

I miss certain aspects of being on television, Phil said. If I’m honest, I miss most of it. But there are bits that I really, really, really don’t miss. “

You can learn a lot about people, Phil continued, despite Holly never being named. That’s something I’m not missing. When you throw someone under a bus, you’ve got to have a really bloody good reason to do it. “

Phil spent ten weeks away from Madagascar on an isolated tropical island.

He also made an appearance to mock Holly’s embarrassing “are you OK?” intro to viewers on This Morning after he left. When Phil and his wife Steph and their two daughters Molly, 31, and Ruby, 28, were filmed having a barbecue in their garden where he joked, “If you’re okay, then we’re okay, and I’m okay,” it became apparent that there is no end to their love these days. “Are you alright?”

Then, Phil made a bombshell remark suggesting he was fired from the This Morning sofa rather than leaving by choice after two decades, Phil said:” It’s inconceivable that I would quit]any show that he is on]. He continued, “I don’t quit, in a blunt comment. I’ve lost my job. But I never quit. “

In another scene whilst fishing on the island, he could be referring to Holly again when he says: “People who I thought were my friends, just went. And that’s like ‘what the hell?’.

Holly’s revels in having the “witch” status.

In October 2-24 it was claimed in The Sun, that Phil refers to his former pal Holly, 43, as ‘the witch’, within his inner circle. Friends of the disgraced presenter said Phil felt Holly and a This Morning boss had staged a ‘very well constructed coup’ as the country witnessed his dramatic fall from grace.

According to a source speaking to The Sun, he even uses a hatted hag’s emoji when discussing her with pals if she comes up.

A few days after Phil’s nickname for his ex bestie was reported, Holly seemingly referenced the jibe as she shared a picture of Kate Moss dressed as a witch on the catwalk in the 1990s for a Happy Halloween post.

The blonde beauty added Donovan’s Season of the Witch single in the background to tamp down the flame.

Phil snubs Holly’s new year’s resolution.

Holly returned to Dancing On Ice this year with Phil’s replacement Stephen Mulhern.

Since its launch in 2006, the pair has presented the program. Christine Lampard took over from Holly for three years, before Holly and Phil rejoined in 2018 after a break.

Catchphrase host Stephen permanently joined Holly Willoughby in presenting the sixteenth season of Dancing on Ice in January 2023. However the permanency of his role didn’t last long as the series was axed after this year’s series ended in March.

Following the blow, Holly issued an emotional statement on Instagram, but failed to mention her former co-host Phillip in the statement or feature him in photos. Following Dancing on Ice’ s axe, she shared a behind the scenes photo of the latest series as well as throwback snaps and wrote: “A huge thank you to @itv, The brilliant team, Crew, Celebrities and Everyone who has been part of our Dancing on Ice family over the last 19 years.

“Every year, just when January felt at its greyest, Dancing on Ice arrived like a burst of glittering, dazzling light, warm, joyful, and full of heart… It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside true national treasures Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and to have a front-row seat to their breathtaking skating.

“Watching them glide across the ice was nothing less than pure magic,” according to Arnica, Deep Heat, Spanx, and fake tan, the unsung heroes of the rink!

“I will miss it a lot, but I consider myself to be very fortunate to have had it for as long as we did.” Finally and most importantly, thank you to you for watching, you’re the BEST! … “

Vic Reeves, also known as Jim Moir, has revealed in an exclusive conversation with The Mirror that he has given up television and plans to devote his time to pursuing a different interest.

Vic Reeves was a comedy sensation when he burst on to our TV screens in the 1990s. Alongside his equally funny sidekick, Bob Mortimer, his ­surrealist humour had the nation howling. But after a career spanning nearly 30 years, he has quit showbiz to devote his life to countryside walks and painting.

Although it may seem like a dramatic career move, Vic, 66, who is now known as Jim Moir, claims that the stage production of Vic Reeves Big Night Out was meant to be a work of art. He claims, “I stopped doing comedy years ago. Bob and I don’t have to watch TV to watch that chemistry. I initially thought of Big Night Out as a work of art rather than a comedy when I started doing it. That was it in the end.

Being famous is “all the work that goes around the production.” Just being on TV was never something I really enjoyed.

The last Vic and Bob episode was in 2017, so we had to put that on hold.

He never gets bored, though, despite turning his back on famous people. I wake up very early, go to the studio, paint, and go for a walk in the afternoon, Jim, who lives in Kent with his wife Nancy, 50, says. That’s much better for me.

He attributes his love of nature to his early experiences in Hurworth, near Darlington, Co Durham. And his fascination with the countryside is reflected in his frequently bird-themed artwork.

He recalls saying, “When I was younger, there were no laptops. ” He recalls making that statement before his most recent exhibition, Knot Twister Prologue. I spent my entire time outdoors, in nature.

“When I was out walking with Nancy twenty years ago, I would frequently say, “There is that bird,” and I would go into great detail about it.

You don’t know what you’re going to see, so it gives you a reason to go out, which is more random than train spotting. It’s a fantastic way to get outdoors in nature. It never makes me sluggish. It’s so lovely.

The Late Shows, Newcastle and Gateshead’s celebration of after-hours culture, will air Knot Twister Prologue on May 16 at The Biscuit Factory with special evening access starting at 6pm and running until 10:30pm. The entire work is available for purchase. until July 16 is the start date.