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TV FALLOUT
Holly Willoughby STILL hasn’t had any contact with Phillip Schofield since he admitted This Morning affair
HOLLY Willoughby still hasn't had any contact with Phillip Schofield since he admitted his This Morning affair.
A source said the much-loved TV personality had not spoken to her former co-host, but that she was saddened that he had been struggling with his mental health.
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Holly has been absent from the set for the past two weeks — during which time her former pal, 61, has come clean about his affair with a much younger ITV runner.
The 42-year-old took a week off when Phillip initially announced he was leaving the hit daytime programme, before then jetting to Portugal with her sister, parents and family for another week.
She is set to return to the sofa on Monday, and is said to be planning to address the scandal "honestly and openly", an insider said.
It comes after Phillip said he texted Holly as the affair story broke, writing: “I know you can’t reply, you’re probably not allowed, but please know I’m desperately sorry.”
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And she is said to have not responded to him.
The source told The Sun: “Holly hasn’t engaged with Phil, but is upset he has been feeling so low.”
Holly took to social media last weekend to reveal Phillip had lied to her about his affair.
She has not commented since.
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Colleagues are said to be sympathetic towards Holly and will try to make her return to work in the coming days as smooth as possible.
The source said: “Holly wants to address Phillip’s recent admissions about his affair.
“She will be honest and open, mentioning him by name. She’s not shying away from the tricky subject as she wants to show up for the viewers and loyal fans.
“Even though Holly has been on holiday with her family, she has been thinking about it a lot and tried to process the dramatic turn of events.
“She has thought about what she will say and written it in advance, taking her time to get the words right. It’s not something she’s being forced to do.
“It won’t be an easy moment for her, and she knows she could get emotional, but she thinks it’s the right thing to do and wants to speak about it in an honest way.
“It will happen at the very beginning of Monday’s show.
“Holly was really upset to hear that Phil was feeling suicidal amid the backlash since the scandal and doesn’t want him to be in any pain, so she will choose her words carefully and deliver them in a sensitive manner.”
Holly hasn’t engaged with Phil, but is upset he has been feeling so low.
TV source
Holly will next week be joined on the sofa on Monday by co-host Josie Gibson.
After her speech she will then focus on light entertainment topics.
She will interview Queen singer Adam Lambert to celebrate Pride month and the LGBT community.
Staff have removed pictures of Phillip from the ITV corridors to signify a new era — but not as a snub to him, it is claimed.
In another move, phone-ins involving the public will be heavily vetted by production staff to filter out any attempted viewer outbursts over the scandal.
And interaction segments where viewers send in pictures and social media posts are being paused to avoid the risk of any abuse being targeted at the presenters.
Phillip told The Sun Holly did not know about his affair.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
He said: “I’ve lost my best friend. Holly did not know. And she was one of the first texts that I sent to say ‘I am so, so sorry, that I lied to you.’”
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