It’s been an emotional few weeks for Holly Willoughby, who had all eyes on her last Monday when she returned to the This Morning sofa for the first time without ex-best friend and co-star Phillip Schofield.
The choked-up presenter told viewers in a hotly-anticipated statement that she felt “shaken”, “troubled” and “let down” by Phillip’s admission that he had lied about an affair with a former This Morning employee – something he strenuously denied Holly knew about in a bombshell interview.
But things show no sign of letting up for Holly, with an insider telling heat that her next step is to repair any damage that may have been caused by Eamonn Holmes’ scathing remarks about her friendship with co-star Alison Hammond – who is rumoured to be favourite to permanently take Phil’s vacant seat on the sofa.
After the GB News presenter accused Holly of “using” Alison, our source reveals his damning comments have only intensified the situation at work.
We’re told, “The last thing Holly wants is to fall out with Alison over this. She wants her to know that she feels Eamonn is making stuff up to cause trouble.”
The source continues, “Alison was really upset by her name getting mentioned in his interview [with Dan Wootton on GB News]. He claimed that she was never given the time of day by Holly or Phil until her profile grew and she became popular with the public, but Alison said she has never felt used and has always felt her experience on This Morning is a positive one.
“If anything, she’s just grateful for the producers taking a chance on a former reality TV star at a time when a lot of people from Big Brother [which she appeared on in 2002] were looked down upon. She’s heartbroken that Eamonn would drag her into this. She’s always got on with Holly.”
Holly, 42, and Alison, 48 – who broke down live on This Morning while discussing the Phillip Schofield scandal – have made no secret of their close friendship over the past few months. Holly was reported to have been a shoulder to cry on for Alison during her break-up from gardener Ben Hawkins earlier this year, with Alison posting a snap of herself out with Holly and her celeb mates, calling it a “girl therapy night”. Holly was also full of praise for her co-star when she was nominated for an NTA. But according to Eamonn, their friendship is “nonsense” and “wouldn’t have happened two years ago”.
As well as the scrutiny around Holly’s relationships with her co-hosts, she encountered yet another blow when it was reported that 200,000 viewers switched off This Morning following her addressing the scandal onscreen. She was also widely mocked for asking viewers, “Are you OK?” And we’re told Holly is desperately trying to hold it together in a bid to show the world she can emerge from the scandal stronger.
Our insider says, “Behind closed doors, Holly’s been a nervous wreck, but she’s not going to let anyone at work or the viewers at home see that. She wants to show people that this isn’t her fault, but that she will be the one to make things right again. Bosses at ITV have said that, if she can weather this storm, she can handle anything – and they will be loyal to her for the rest of her career.”
But regardless of the seemingly unwavering support from her employers, our source says Holly still can’t shake the niggling doubt that the public has lost faith in her. “She knows she isn’t out of the woods yet,” we’re told.
“This Morning producers are still waiting to see what the ratings are like and whether or not big advertisers will stick with the show. It’s a really scary place for Holly to be in.”
The source adds, “Holly is hopeful that they can work towards making This Morning a positive and safe place to work, but it’s all about winning back the trust of the audience.”