Phillip Schofield’s fall from grace – how This Morning star lost his King of TV title

Since making his debut in the Broom Cupboard on CBBC in 1985, Phillip Schofield has been a permanent fixture on our screens.

The Oldham-born presenter, 61, has fronted a ton of shows including, Going Live, Schofield’s Quest, The Cube, Test the Nation – as well as a series about remarkable coincidences called One in a Million.

It was no coincidence, however, that the father-of-two was among ITV’s pick of presenters. With his infectious energy and slick delivery, Phil was a safe pair of hands – supposedly.

In 2002, he joined This Morning with Fern Britton after John Leslie was sacked.

Phil and Fern would often lark about on screen, collapsing into fits of giggles while Phil smiled warmly at the camera.

But then Fern quit the show in 2009, with friends saying she was ‘sick of living in her co-star’s shadow’.

Other stars followed suit, slamming Phil for his ‘aggressive attitude’ and ‘condescending nature’.

So, after sensationally quitting This Morning amid reports of a feud with co-star Holly Willoughby, we take a look at where it all went wrong for the former king of daytime TV…

Fall out with Fern

Fern was was said to have fallen out with Phil after her friends claimed she felt “undervalued by ITV” and that she was “living in Phil’s shadow”.

In his autobiography, Life Is What You Make It, Phil addressed a blazing row he had with Fern, which he believes was the final nail in the coffin.

He said he argued with Fern in a makeup room in 2009 over the content of a show – and was “stunned” when she accused him of “meddling.”

The frost reportedly thawed between the pair, but when Phil and Holly were accused of jumping the queue to see the late Queen lying in state last year, Fern quipped: “There’s a VIP line?”, leading fans to believe she still wasn’t a fan of Phil’s.

Fern then got tongues wagging when she tweeted she’d had an interesting catch-up with former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes, who is also no fan of Phil’s…

Tension with Ruth and Eamonn

Ruth Langsford looked hurt and shocked when Phil appeared to cut her off when she was introducing the line-up on Loose Women in 2019.

Just as she was wrapping up, Phil cut across her, prompting Ruth to point out she was ‘just about to finish.’

The presenter’s husband, Eamonn, defended his wife, saying he ‘felt sorry for her’, telling the Daily Mail: “Phillip is renowned for snubbing people. He’s very passive-aggressive. It’s up to Ruth to say how she felt, but I was feeling hurt for her. No one would have snubbed me like that.”

Eamonn also thinks Phil and Holly should win an award for ‘best actors’.

He said on GB News: “The public surely will suss that there’s no chemistry, that it’s a broken fit between the two of them and that This Morning does not depend on who presents it.”

Amanda Holden dig

Amanda reportedly fell out with Phil after she lost out on presenting This Morning while Holly Willoughby was in Australia hosting I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!

She told Heart co-host Jamie Theakston three things she’d never want to find in her home were “spiders, flies and Phillip Schofield.”

Talking about Amanda to Heat magazine, Phil said: “She has a faulty edit button and she forgets she’s on telly, which is enormously endearing and funny, but occasionally, quite scary.”

ITV star calls Phil ‘cruel’ and ‘brutal’

Another ex-ITV star who had a dig at Phil is I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! star Kim Woodburn.

The non-nonsense Scouser branded the father-of-two a “cruel, brutal little man” in a damning statement.

Speaking about being interviewed on This Morning, she told GB News: “I went on his show and he insulted me, he was rude, he was horrible. He was laughing at me, he was actually snickering at me.

“He should not be on television, he’s a cruel, brutal little man and he’s full of himself.”

Phil’s brother’s shocking trial

Phillip’s sibling Timothy, 54, was found guilty at Exeter Crown Court of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a period of three years.

After washing his hands of his brother, Phil made a comeback to the ITV daytime show, which he usually hosts with Holly.

However Holly was reportedly kept in the dark about the trial, leading Phil to release an impromptu statement about his relationship with his co-star…

Sudden statement making things worse

Phil and Holly have fronted This Morning together for many years, but it was recently reported their off-screen friendship was “cooling”.

It prompted Phil to issue a statement where he admitted that “the last few weeks haven’t been easy for either” of them and he has always been grateful for the support of Holly and everyone around him.

However, sources claimed neither Holly nor ITV knew about the sudden statement, which made the situation worse.

One said: “This Morning’s relationship with its viewers is built on trust, and they have to believe that Holly and Phil’s friendship, and what they’re watching, is real.

“While there was a bit of noise and speculation about their relationship cooling, it could have easily been ignored.”

‘Feud’ with Holly

Holly and Phil are no longer speaking to each other off camera, it has been claimed.

This Morning bosses are said to be in ‘crisis talks’ over what to do with the ITV presenters following reports of a rift.

Insiders say Holly and Phil’s relationship has been ‘tense for months’ and they recently avoided each other at pal Keith Lemon’s 50th birthday party.

With the support of her husband TV producer Dan Baldwin, sources say Holly is looking to branch out on her own and has realised she no longer needs Phil as her sidekick.

The Mirror exclusively revealed the Wylde Moon guru has piled pressure on ITV bosses to begin contract negotiations – as her co-host’s future hangs in the balance.

Sources concluded Phil has fallen from grace after years of behind-the-scenes tension on This Morning causing some to jokingly call him ‘The Grim Reaper’.

So as the star’s fate is revealed, many predicted the recent drama would be the final nail in the coffin.

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