Another week has seen yet another twist in the row between once-best friends Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield – and it seems Holly has finally had enough.
The 43-year-old presenter was no doubt left shocked when WhatsApp messages allegedly saw Phil, 62, brand his former This Morning co-host a ‘witch’ following the fallout from his ITV axing last year. And fans were left amused when she made a sly dig about Phil’s nickname for her in a post marking Halloween. Taking to Instagram, Holly – who will return to screens with Stephen Mulhern later this year – posted a photo of Kate Moss dressed as a witch on the runway at a Martine Sitbon show in 1993, which she soundtracked with Lana Del Rey’s Season Of The Witch.
But beneath the humour, an insider reveals Holly is done with Phil’s remarks and is even gearing up to take legal action if needs be. A source tells heat, ‘Holly is sick of all these thinly veiled digs and nasty comments that are seemingly aimed at her from Phil. Every week, there seems to be a new cryptic remark that brings it all back again and she's fed up with it.
‘She's retaliated with her own not-so-subtle response on social media, but she feels like it's bordering on harassment now. Even her friends have said they feel as though Phil is harassing her, like a school bully trying to drag her down with him. Phil is clearly still extremely bitter about the way everything has panned out and seems to be on a mission to bring Holly back into it all.’
Phil well and truly reignited his feud with Holly in his big TV comeback on Channel 5’s Cast Away in September. It was his first time back on telly after he was axed from This Morning in May 2023, when he admitted to having an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a ‘younger male colleague’. During the show, he alluded to ‘three shits’ who still work at ITV and even mocked Holly’s infamous, ‘Are you okay?’ line during the three-episode event. And while Holly and her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin are prepared to stop at nothing to keep Phil quiet, our source says it’s not what she’s wanting to do, especially in the wake of her harrowing kidnap plot.
‘She's really not interested in fighting with him, but if he's going to keep making comments, then she will have no choice but to act – and even consult with her legal team if it comes to it,’ we’re told.
‘Her husband Dan is equally furious and feeling understandably very protective of his wife. He's a very powerful figure in the TV industry and has said that Phil is doing himself no favours by trying to bring Holly into his mess. Holly is very well-liked by her peers and has an army of fans. She's been through so much with the kidnapping plot that a lot of people genuinely feel sympathy for her, unlike with Phil. Holly knows that must be killing Phil, as he's very bitter and disgruntled.’
But Holly, Dan and their celeb pals fear that Cast Away was just the start of Phillip’s plan to make a full return to the public eye. We’re told, ‘Holly wants to set the narrative straight now. She and Dan are going to be watching Phil’s remarks very carefully over the next few months and will not hesitate to take appropriate action if he steps out of line.
‘There are still questions that need to be answered over his behaviour and conduct, and that's for him to deal with. As for Holly, she has moved on with her life and really wants to put this chapter to bed. She had wished Phil well and hoped he would do the decent thing and leave her out of his mess. She's certainly not going to stay silent if he continues to try and attack her character.’