HOLLY Willoughby says rumours of a feud with her This Morning co-star Phillip Schofield are “nonsense” as he insisted the pair are “best mates”.
According to reports, the rift between Holly and Phillip began when she won a Bafta award for hosting I’m A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here! alongside Declan Donnelly.
Holly, 40, stepped in for Ant McPartlin in 2018 after he took a break from his TV work following a battle with alcohol and prescription drugs.
An ITV source claimed that Phil, 59, didn’t want Holly to celebrate or mention her victory.
The source told The Celeb Report: “Phillip was furious. He didn’t want Holly mentioning her triumph when they reunited on This Morning.
“It felt very petty and bitter for someone who is his close friend. But it felt like he was jealous.”
And a former colleague of Phillip’s also revealed: “He is very jealous of Holly, who has remained a nice person despite her success.”
Things also reportedly escalated when Holly wanted Phil to stop posting social pictures of her guzzling alcohol on his social media but was said to be too nervous to ask him, so she opted to do it via the management company they shared at the time.
What’s more, the duo, who have worked together for 15 years, were branded ‘fake’ by axed Dancing On Ice judge Jason Gardiner.
However, ahead of the Bafta TV Awards tomorrow Holly and Phil were asked about the rumours in an interview with The Times.
They insisted there is no bad blood between them, with Phillip saying: “It’s just nonsense” as Holly added: “Doesnt make sense.”
Schofield continued: “You cant do two-and-a-half hours with people not having an opinion. I’m glad people have an opinion. There will always be the keyboard warriors, of which none of us take any notice.”
Speaking to The Celeb Report at the Dancing on Ice 2020 press conference, Holly began to tear up as she spoke about her relationship with Phillip.
The mum of three said: “Phil and I met on this show. There’s a lot of history in this show.
“My kids really love the show as well, I get quite emotional thinking about it, that all of them were carried in my tummy on this show and when we finished I always went off and had the babies…
“So now it’s really nice because they love it and I tend to split it, I bring one of them each week, they come for the whole day and sit through the rehearsals. It’s really nice. It’s a real family show.”
Holly was then asked if there was any bad blood between her and Phillip.
Denying the claims, she said: “You couldn’t do the amount of hours of TV that we do with each other without getting on.”
Phillip then went on to describe her as his best friend, saying: “We have such a laugh. We’re best mates, she’s like the sister I never had. I just adore working with her, she’s just perfect.”
