The former best pals began to drift apart four years ago before the rift deepened

LONDON — The once-iconic partnership of This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, long hailed as an “unbreakable bond,” crumbled under mounting tensions well before Schofield’s dramatic exit from the ITV show in May 2023, sources reveal. Schofield, 62, recently branded the fallout an “utter betrayal” on Channel 5’s Cast Away, reigniting public fascination with their fractured friendship.

The cracks began as early as 2019, when Willoughby, 44, stepped into the spotlight with her I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! co-hosting stint. Schofield, who mentored Willoughby’s rise since her 2009 This Morning debut, reportedly felt eclipsed, viewing her as his “pretty wing woman” rather than a co-star, insiders claim. Tensions escalated in 2022 during the “Queuegate” scandal, where the pair faced backlash for allegedly skipping the queue to view Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state. Willoughby’s team swiftly distanced her from Schofield, prioritizing her solo brand—a move he saw as disloyal.

The breaking point came in early 2023, tied to Schofield’s brother Timothy’s trial for child sexual offenses. Willoughby was reportedly furious, learning Schofield knew details of his brother’s actions months before the arrest but hadn’t fully confided in her or ITV. “Holly felt blindsided,” a source said, despite Schofield’s insistence she knew the trial’s severity. By May 2023, the co-hosts were “barely speaking” off-camera.

Schofield’s bombshell admission of an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague proved the final straw. Willoughby, informed of the affair’s scope only when it went public, called Schofield’s deception “very hurtful” in a statement. Schofield, stung by her lack of public support, reportedly texted her, “You brought me down,” before his This Morning exit. On Cast Away, he lambasted “three s**ts of showbiz,” widely interpreted as targeting Willoughby and ITV executives Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley. Sources say he now refers to Willoughby as “the witch” privately.

Willoughby has stayed silent, focusing on Dancing on Ice and Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt. “Holly’s unfazed,” a friend told The Chronicle. “She’s moved on.”

The saga, far from clickbait’s betrayal narrative, reveals a slow-burn rift fueled by professional rivalry and personal mistrust. As Schofield rebuilds and Willoughby thrives, their once-golden partnership remains a cautionary tale of showbiz loyalties.

a man in a blue shirt and a woman in a red dress are posing for a picture

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were once the best of friends

a man sits on a beach next to a hat

Phillip says he was betrayed by three people in showbiz on tonight’s show Cast Away

But their super-tight relationship fell apart last year in spectacular fashion, with neither of them now presenting This Morning, or even remaining on speaking terms.

Now Phil, who’s making his TV comeback tonight on Channel 5 survival show Cast Away, has taken aim at those “who betrayed him” 16 months ago when he quit This Morning after admitting to having lied about an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a much younger male colleague.

Phillip will be seen fending for himself for 10 days on a remote island paradise, located off the coast of Madagascar, in the three-part programme.

And he appears to blame his dramatic fall from grace on a trio of his former ITV colleagues, without naming any, saying: “I think there are only three s***s [of showbiz].”