This Morning regular Rochelle Humes has paid tribute to Phillip Schofield on social media, following his exit from the daytime show.
Phillip confirmed on Saturday afternoon that he had agreed with ITV he would part ways with This Morning with immediate effect, having previously denied reports of a fall-out with co-host Holly Willoughby.
Rochelle has stepped in to cover for Holly alongside Phil on a number of occasions – most notably in 2018 when Holly was in Australia presenting I’m A Celebrity – as well as guest hosting with the likes of Andi Peters and Vernon Kay.
Posting a collage of photos of herself and Phillip, Rochelle wrote on her Instagram Story: “I’ve proudly been a part of the This Morning family for almost 10 years and over the last few, it has been an absolutely pleasure learning so much from you.
“Thanks for all the lessons – you’re a fountain of love knowledge and laughter. Big love @Schofe.”
Chef Clodagh McKenna was another member of the This Morning team to post on Instagram, saying Phillip “would be missed”.
Sharing a picture of them in the This Morning kitchen, Clodagh wrote: “21 years of brightening up our mornings…. And I’ve been so lucky to be part of three of them. I’ll miss the morning hug, the twinkle in your eye that makes me giggle and your empathy.
“You will be missed.”
This Morning officially said farewell to Phillip with a brief on-air tribute on Monday, in which Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary thanked him for all he’d “done to make this show such a success over the last 21 years”.
In his announcement over the weekend, Phillip said: “Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind. I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love,” he said.
“So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.”
Holly said of her colleague’s exit: “It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
Holly is due to return to This Morning on 5 June, where she will continue to present with members of the show’s on-air family until a replacement for Phillip is found.
Meanwhile, Phillip will return to ITV next month to host the annual British Soap Awards, while the channel has also confirmed he will host a peak time series later this year.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.