Phillip Schofield 'calls Holly Willoughby the witch' and 'blames her for This Morning coup'

The pair presented the ITV show together for years

Former ITV This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield has reportedly labelled his ex co-star as 'the witch.' The 62-year-old goes so far as to use a witch emoji when he is speaking about her via text, it has been claimed.

It comes after Schofield quit his TV roles in the wake of his "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague. Holly later addressed This Morning fans and said she felt "shaken, troubled, let down," and "worried" for the wellbeing of both Phillip and the younger male.

She added that Schofield hadn't been telling the truth to his friends, colleagues and fans. According to Phillip's friends, he believes that Schofield directly brought him down.

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A source told The Sun that she is known as "the witch" amongst his inner circle. They also claim that he uses the hatted hag emoji to discuss Holly if her name ever crops up.

"He dislikes Holly so much now he calls her 'the witch' when talking about her and sends the emoji to his mates if she comes up," they said. "He messaged Holly and told her, 'You brought me down.' He was furious and still is."

Phillip was allegedly left stunned when Holly didn't come to his aid following the end of his career. Schofield blamed her for not publicly backing him amid reports they had fallen out in the aftermath of his brother's court case in May 2023. The former presenter had asked Holly for a show of support or a picture of them together, but his request was refused.

A pal of Phillip said that he knew his future on the programme was doomed the minute Holly didn't show support for him. They told The Mirror: "He feels it was a simple gesture that might have saved his job and her refusal to do so effectively finished him off. Believing in the TV chemistry was the bedrock of the This Morning format."

She reportedly told Schofield that she didn't want to "feed the narrative" and that ITV bosses didn't want her to publicly respond. Holly is said to have replied to a WhatsApp message saying that that she was in the dark about what was going on. Schofield later messaged two senior ITV bosses to complain about her, the friend says.

He felt as if Holly and a This Morning boss had staged a "very well constructed coup" as his TV career crashed, it is reported. A source said: "Phillip considered her a friend, his TV sister as he called her, and always backed her, even recommending her to do the jungle. Her lack of public support was a low blow in his eyes."

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