Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield did not address tabloid reports about the state of their relationship as they returned to This Morning on Monday.
Last week, The Sun quoted a supposed “insider” who claimed there’s “off-screen tension” between the long-time co-hosts that’s “rumbled for some time”.
While Phil issued a statement to the tabloid on Thursday night shooting down the claims and insisting that he and Holly are still the “best of friends”, that hasn’t seemed to quash the story.
Reports in the tabloid press have since claimed his statement is said to have stunned Holly, with speculation over the weekend they might not have appeared together on Monday’s This Morning.
However, as the week kicked off, the pair did reunite on screen for the first time since Phillip spoke to the press.
But the pair did not acknowledge the media storm around them, with Monday’s show instead kicking off with a performance from Disney composer Alan Menken.
Phillip and Holly even shared a laugh, as he pointed out Alan’s piano medley was “right up her street”.
They then welcomed regular panellists Gyles Brandreth and Camilla Tominey to discuss the day’s top news stories, with no acknowledgement of the various headlines about themselves.
In his statement, Phillip previously said: “As I have said before, Holly is my rock.
“We’re the best of friends — as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone.
“Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her.”
Referring to his brother’s recent conviction for sexually abusing a teenage boy over a period of three years, Phillip continued: “The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us. My family went through a real ordeal. And Holly’s support throughout meant the world to me, as did the support of my bosses at ITV, my editor Martin Frizell and the whole This Morning family, including our amazing viewers.”
Phillip also pointed out that Holly “has herself been ill with shingles”, which led to her missing a week of shows last month.
A spokesperson for Holly Willoughby had no comment when contacted about the rumours surrounding her off-screen relationship with Phillip on Thursday.
The duo have hosted This Morning together since 2009, and have become known for their off-screen friendship as well as their on-screen partnership.
Phillip and Holly also host the ITV reality show Dancing On Ice, which they’ve done since it returned to our screens in 2018.