Holly Willoughby says she was ‘shaken and let down’ by Phillip Schofield on This Morning return

Holly returned to the ITV programme this morning, for the first time since Schofield’s high-profile departure at the end of May.

The presenter said Schofield “was not telling the truth”, but acknowledged that she has found it difficult to witness the impact the controversy has had on his “mental health”.

Addressing the scandal, with co-presenter Josie Gibson by her side, Holly said: “Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you okay? I hope so. it feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil and I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the well being of people on all side of what’s been going on and full of questions.

"You me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they had to resign from ITV and stepped down from a career they loved.

"That is a lot to process and it's equally hard to see the toll that it's taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now, is a desire to heal for the health and well being of everyone.

"I hope that as we start this new chapter, and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.”

"And from my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself Josie, Dermot [O’Leary] Alison [Hammond], Craig [Doyle] and every single person that works on this show, will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love.”

Co-host Josie Gibson added: “All we can do now is be the family that we are.

Holly (42) was pictured arriving at the studio after a two-week half-term break following the shock departure of Phillip Schofield and his subsequent revelation of an affair with a younger ITV male employee.

Willoughby’s return to presenting duties was confirmed at the end of Friday’s episode of This Morning, which was hosted by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, and that Gibson will be filling in as co-host.

It comes after Schofield said he “didn’t tell anybody” about his affair with his former This Morning colleague, confirming in a tell-all interview with BBC’s Amol Rajan that Willoughby “did not know”.

Similarly, in his interview with the Sun, the 61-year-old presenter apologised to Willoughby for lying to her about his relationship, saying: “I’ve lost my best friend.”

He added: “I let her (Holly) down. I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down.

“Holly did not know (about the affair) and she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say: ‘I am so, so sorry that I lied to you’.

“She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply as well. So, yeah, if anyone is in any way linking Holly to this, that is ­absolutely, wholly untrue.”

The duo, who had presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted Dancing On Ice before Schofield resigned from ITV, had been open about their close friendship over the years.

Willoughby’s return comes as the ITV show has been plagued by allegations of “toxicity”, including from former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who has alleged there was a “total cover-up” over the Schofield affair.

The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, also hit out at a “toxic” culture, saying he raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.

In a letter from ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall to Parliament on Wednesday, she said an external review conducted following a complaint made by Dr Ranj found “no evidence of bullying or discrimination”.

Meanwhile, former This Morning head of news Emily Maddick, who worked on the show from September to December 2019, claimed she quit the programme due to “bullying, sexism and a toxic culture of fear and intimidation”.

On Saturday, This Morning editor Frizell told a Sky News reporter to “read between the lines” amid claims of toxicity, adding: “I think there’s some scores being settled.”

Dame Carolyn has been called to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.

On Wednesday, she confirmed the broadcaster had instructed barrister Jane Mulcahy KC of Blackstone Chambers to carry out an external review of the facts.