Holly Willoughby has always referred to Phillip Schofield as her big brother, and it’s clear the pair are closer than ever. This was never more obvious than last week, when Holly came to her friend’s defence when former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes openly had a dig at Phil.
In an interview, Eamonn, 62, called Phil “passive-aggressive”, adding that he is “known for snubbing people” in reference to an incident where he interrupted Ruth Langsford live on air. Just a couple of days later, to mark 40 years since Phil has been working in showbiz, Holly took to Instagram with a defiantly proud and gushing post about the 59-year-old presenter.
“Today the TV oracle marks his 40th year in the business,” she wrote. “For a long time, I watched you, and then for the last 15 years I have been lucky enough to sit alongside you. You have taught me so much; you have always been patient and generous with me… It’s been an honour to play a part in your TV story… love you to bits.”
An insider close to the 41 year old tells heat that she feels strongly about defending Phil.
CHECK OUT Holly Willoughby's career timeline from the start
Holly Willoughby career timeline slider with cover pic
1 of 14Swipe through to see Holly Willoughby's career highlights...
2 of 142000: S Club TV
Back when Tina was doing her dance, and Jon was looking for romance, Holly was doing a pretty impressive job as a stand in member of S Club 7 for their TV movie S Club 7: Artistic Differences. In the children's comedy, the band split when artistic differences tore them apart (Paul heading off to start a rival band, Rachel leaving to get married) – but Holly helped keep the peace as a character named Zoe.
3 of 142004: Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown AKA Ministry of Mayhem
Originally called Ministry of Mayhem, Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown was a mad cap CiTV game show that saw the show hosts camp it up as housemates that welcomed boys and girls teams in to their living room for an assortment of competitions.It is also the setting where Holly met her future husband, Dan Baldwin (they tied the knot in 2007 and have three children), and gave co-host Stephen Mulhern a platform to show off his magic skills. Fancy!
4 of 142005: CD:UK
Now we're not saying Cat Deeley can be replaced... but Holly was a pretty great successor to the fellow 40-year-old TV host. Holly helped many a hungover adult get through Saturday morning's by presenting the children's music chart show.
5 of 142006: Dancing on Ice
A glimpse of what was to come – Holly was paired with hosting icon Philip Schofield on the ice skating dance show that saw celebrities compete on skates under the tutelage of Olympic legends Torvill and Dean. Holly and Phil's warm chemistry was a hit with fan – pulling in over 12 million viewers at the show's peak.
6 of 142008: Xtra Factor
After Fearne Cotton but before Konnie Huq, Holly hosted The X Factor spin off show the year that music fans were thrilled by the likes of Alexandra Burke, JLS and Diana Vickers. The star arguably co-hosted with her first son, Harry, as she was pregnant with him while the show aired in 2008 – with her first baby arriving in May the following year. She returned to host again for series six – which was when Joe McElderry won.
7 of 142009: Celebrity Juice
The mad cap mayhem of presenting children's television shows was probably a good training ground for Holly to deal with the juvenile antics of Keith Lemon (aka Avid Merrion). Holly serves as a team captain on the bonkers late night game show with best friend Fearne Cotton championing her opposing team. The trio were a hit with viewers, until Fearne announced her departure from the show in December 2018."I'm going to miss you being on the other side of my banana... thank you for 10 years of laughter... love you @fearnecotton ... we are going to MISS you on @celebjuiceofficial SOOO much ud83dude25 xxxx," said Holly.
8 of 142009: This Morning
As well as delighting late night viewers, 2009 saw Holly enter the weekday TV format as she started hosting This Morning with Philip Schofield after the departure of Fern Britton. Fans of the pair have seen their friendship blossom on-screen as they still present together to this day – and have helped the magazine entertainment show scoop NTA, TRIC, TV Choice, and Freesat Awards along the way.And who could forget thatboozy TV appearance the morning after the night before, when Phil and Holly won the National Television Award for best day time TV? HILAIR.
9 of 142012: The Voice UK
Holly and Reggie Yates were the face of The Voice when it first launched in the UK on the BBC back in 2012. The duo held the show together for the first two years and worked alongside show coaches Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue as they found champions Leanne Mitchell in 2012 and Andrea Begley in 2013.
10 of 142012: Surprise Surprise
When the long-running show was resurrected in 2012, Holly seemed like the natural choice to fill the shoes of Cilla Black. With her approachable demeanour and warm personality, Holly shone as she fronts the light entertainment show as members of the public have dreams made true.
11 of 142016: Meet the Parents
Proving herself as one of the hardest working women in showbiz, Holly doesn't slow down when the weekend arrives despite hosting This Morning four days per week. The hostess has most recently been helping singletons find love on the ITV dating show that sees parents vet prospective dates for their children.
12 of 142018: Coronation Street
In 2018, Holly had a cameo in beloved ITV soap Coronation Street, along with her co-host Phillip Schofield. The pair interviewed the characters of Rosie Webster, Craig Tinker and Gemma Winter as part of Rosie's exit storyline.
13 of 142018: Dancing on Ice (returns)
Back by popular demand, Phil and Holly were back in their gladrags to host the new series of Dancing on Ice in 2018, after the show's four year hiatus from our screens (Holly left in 2011, and was replaced by her friend Christine Bleakely)."What is really nice is I have found a new appreciation for this kind of show (which I love) since having the kids. It is exactly the type of show we sit and watch as a family," said Holly after announcing her return."We love Strictly, The X Factor and we love sitting there watching those big family event TV moments. It is nice my children are now old enough to come and watch and enjoy DOI!"
14 of 142018: I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
In arguably her most prestigious gig to date after This Morning, Holly was invited to stand in for Ant McPartlin presenting I'm a Celeb while he recovered from an illness.Rumours were swirling for a while about who would replace Ant, but when push came to shove, Holly was the only person Dec (Donnelly) wanted by his side during his co-host's hiatus. Initial reactions to Holly were mixed, but by the time Harry Redknapp was crowned King of the Jungle, the nation was in agreement that Holly – as usual – had smashed it.
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“Holly doesn’t usually like getting herself involved in any drama, but she puts her foot down when people come out and attack Phil,” we’re told. “Live television is always stressful and mistakes happen, but regardless, Holly feels what happens on the show should remain between the stars.
“She doesn’t feel the need to come out swinging in public, but privately she’s let it be known that she is not happy with what Eamonn has said and how he has conducted himself. Holly has pointed out that it was not her or Phil’s decision to shake up the Friday presenters, they have just been going with the flow and doing what’s asked of them.”
Eamonn has been quite outspoken since he and wife Ruth Langsford, 61, were dropped from their Friday morning slot on This Morningand replaced with Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond, and he often expresses his feelings through “liking” tweets. Last week, he liked one that read, “I stopped watching once you and Ruth went from TM. I knew someone who worked behind the scenes on TM. She said you were both so lovely. But Phillip Schofield was rude and had no time for them.”
But our source says Holly couldn’t disagree more with the sentiment that Eamonn is pushing about her co-host.
“Working closely with Phil over all these years, she’s seen what a consummate professional he is – he is kind and fair. She will not tolerate people attacking him – he doesn’t deserve it and she will always defend him and be grateful for how much he has supported her.”
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