Phillip Schofield has responded to claims his friendship with Holly Willoughby has “cooled” in recent months.
The popular presenters have hosted ITV’s This Morning together since 2009, and have become close friends over the years – even holidaying with each other’s families.
Despite their longstanding friendship, The Sun reported earlier this week that Holly and Phil are “not as close as they once were”.
Amid reports of a strain in their relationship, This Morning fans have also pointed out “tension” between the pair on-screen.
It’s been an eventful few months for the duo, as they both came under fire when they were accused of skipping the queue to see the Queen lying-in-state last September.
Phillip was also recently absent from This Morning for a few weeks during his brother’s sex abuse trial, and Holly was struck down by the shingles.
Breaking his silence on the speculation, Phillip released a statement on Thursday night admitting the last few weeks “haven’t been easy” for him or Holly.
The 61-year-old told the newspaper: “As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We’re the best of friends — as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone.”
“Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her.”
“The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us,” he continued. “My family went through a real ordeal.”
“And Holly’s support throughout meant the world to me, as did the support of my bosses at ITV, my editor Martin Frizell and the whole This Morning family, including our amazing viewers.”
Last month, Phillip’s younger brother Timothy Schofield, 54, was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child.
Following the guilty verdicts, Phillip released a statement saying Timothy was no longer his brother.
He wrote: “My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.”
“If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family. These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.”
