PHILLIP Schofield’s “three s**ts” are today revealed as his former co-host Holly Willoughby and old ITV bosses Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley.
The ex-presenter lashed out at an unnamed trio in his television comeback last week on Channel 5’s Cast Away.
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Phil’s friends now want to set the record straight on what he could not say on air — including outing the three people he blames for ending his television career.
They say he believes Holly and their This Morning boss Martin staged an “organised coup” to get him sacked after the jailing of his paedophile brother Timothy.
Phil now brands Holly — once one of his closest friends — as “the witch” who he accused directly of “bringing me down”.
He even uses a hatted hag’s emoji when discussing her with pals if she comes up.
Pals say he also accuses Emma, ITV’s managing director of daytime, of treating him “unfairly” over his departure in May 2023.
A friend said: “Phil’s three s**ts are Holly, Martin and Emma.
“He dislikes Holly so much now he calls her ‘the witch’ when talking about her and sends the emoji to his mates if she comes up.
“Phil believes Holly, Martin and Emma were the reason he was booted from ITV and he thinks they treated him unfairly.
“He messaged Holly and told her, ‘You brought me down.’ He was furious, and still is.”
His pals also claim Phil begged Martin not to send him and Holly to see the Queen’s coffin for This Morning, which backfired with the disastrous “queue-gate” furore.
Those close to Phil, 62, tell The Sun swathes of footage from Cast Away had to be left out as it was deemed too explosive, most notably about Holly, 43.
In the three-parter, Phil claimed he was sacked because of bad publicity around his brother, jailed for 12 years in May last year for sexual offences involving a child.
It was in stark contrast to how his departure played out publicly, with Phil releasing a statement saying he was stepping down after an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger show runner.
Phil now believes his fate was sealed when Holly began to distance herself from him for the sake of “her brand”.
Holly has never publicly spoken about Timothy’s crimes but in messages seen after his arrest she told Phil of her shock and said it was “hard to believe”.
A friend said: “Phil feels that he was sacked because of the bad press around his brother. Everyone knew about Tim’s arrest — including Holly.
“They had a backstage make-up room called The Sanctuary at This Morning, where Phil first assembled trusted pals including Holly and told them, tearfully, about his brother. Holly held his hand and was super-kind.
“But Phil feels she distanced herself from it publicly because it was bad for her brand. But she supported Phil and was disgusted by what his brother had done.”
The rift between them spiralled, with Phil later admitting he had lied to Holly about his affair with a younger male colleague.
Phil feels that he was sacked because of the bad press around his brother. Everyone knew about Tim’s arrest — including Holly
A friend
Pals revealed that Phil was hurt when Holly cut him off, especially after the help he had given her with work. One said: “He feels so betrayed by Holly still.
“As far as he’s concerned he made her career at This Morning. And he got her the I’m A Celebrity hosting job by texting his best pal Dec and saying, ‘Holly would be perfect for this’.
“Once, Holly’s husband Dan Baldwin even confronted him about giving Holly more airtime on This Morning — which naturally Phil did.
He agreed, formally, to let her have a question and then him — even if she then missed a good follow-up. When he once broke the rule and chipped in she rolled her eyes — that bit was reported at the time as viewers noticed.
“In Phil’s eyes, Holly repaid his kindness by knifing him. He lied to her and apologised, but she dropped him, despite everything they had been through.
“He’ll never get over what he feels is a betrayal.”
Phil didn’t even want to go to Westminster. He foresaw it would backfire and it did. He wanted to watch the procession from the bottom of his drive at home
A friend
In September 2022, Holly and Phil were heavily criticised for apparently jumping the queue to see the late Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall.
However, The Sun can reveal Phil pleaded with This Morning editor Martin to cancel the segment.
In messages two days before filming, he warned him it would have the “wrong tone” and that he wanted to “remain outside”.
Phil later asked Martin to rethink, calling the plan “ill-conceived”.
A friend added: “Phil didn’t even want to go to Westminster. He foresaw it would backfire and it did. He wanted to watch the procession from the bottom of his drive at home.
“They never actually jumped the queue and when they had to read a statement explaining that, it was even more galling for Phil because Holly was given the most lines.
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“Phil predicted it would be perceived badly and he was right.”
His ITV departure was portrayed as a resignation, with Phil confessing about his affair.
But on Cast Away he said: “I was fired for the bad publicity, for someone else’s crime.”
His anger is evident in messages seen by The Sun between Phil and ITV top boss Kevin Lygo following his exit.
A friend said: “Phil told Kevin in no uncertain terms that he believed Holly and Martin wanted him gone. He texted Kevin and told him he believed his sacking was an ‘organised coup’.”
One pal added: “As for Emma, Phil believes she treated him unfairly.”
On Cast Away, Phil also mentioned people who “threw me under a bus”, with ex-colleague Eamonn Holmes saying after it aired: “I am very proud to have done it.”
The pair have feuded since Eamonn and then-wife Ruth Langsford’s departure from This Morning after 15 years in 2021.
Holly is also said to have clashed with Eamonn — including when they went on air together to interview dad-of-two Phil about coming out as gay in 2020.
A pal said: “Phil knows Eamonn hates him and says it’s because he never texted him to say he was sorry to see him leaving. He thinks Eamonn is petty and bitter — and took great delight in being involved in Phil ‘coming out’.
“Phil recalled how Eamonn made crude jokes about him being gay.
“He also told us Holly was furious with Eamonn that day because he told her that he would ‘take over the interview’ if she became too emotional. Phil said he’d never seen Holly so angry.”
Timeline of Phil bust-up and his fall from grace
MAY 11, 2023: The Sun reveals Holly and Phil are no longer speaking to each other off-camera.
MAY 12: Phil issues a statement to The Sun confirming the story and says: “It has not been easy for me or Holly.”
MAY 13: We reveal a tense phone call between pair as their rift becomes public.
MAY 15: We report Phil calls in lawyers to protect his reputation.
MAY 17: The Sun breaks the story that This Morning bosses are planning a huge shake-up.
MAY 21: ITV axe Phil.
MAY 22: Pals tell The Sun he is “completely broken”.
MAY 27: Phil issues bombshell statement about his affair with a young runner on the show and how he lied about it.
MAY 28: Friends tell Sun of Holly’s upset at Phil’s betrayal.
MAY 29: The Sun reveal sponsors are deserting ITV over the scandal.
JUNE 1: ITV launches independent probe into This Morning, quizzing bosses and stars including Holly.
JUNE 2: Phil gives a dynamite first interview to The Sun and apologises for his lies.
JUNE 3: In his second interview, Phil tells us he dare not leave his house for fear of being spat on.
JUNE 5: Phil vows he will not watch Holly as she returns to the sofa without him.
JUNE 6: Holly vows to never speak publicly about Phil again but pals confirm she will reach out to him once the dust has settled.
SEPT 6: This Morning loses out at National Television Awards as Phil unfollows Holly on social media.
SEPTEMBER 27: Sun reports that ITV investigation into This Morning scandal is delayed until later this year.
OCTOBER 6: Holly pulled off air as The Sun reveals a plot to kidnap her.
OCT 8: We tell of another security breach at ITV’s studios days before Holly plot.
OCT 10: Holly quits This Morning.
Hearing Eamonn mocking his affair on his GB News show also gave Phil a laugh, pals say, when rumours of the host’s own relationship woes were made public.
Weeks after the announcement of the end of his 14-year marriage to Ruth, Eamonn’s close friendship with Katie Alexander was revealed by The Sun.
A friend added: “Phil heard about Eamonn having a phone-in on GB News to get people to call in if they’d had an affair with Phil. Not a single person rang in apparently.”
Phil still counts a number of ITV big names as close pals, including I’m A Celeb host Declan Donnelly.
A friend said: “Even people like Dr Ranj reached out. He was desperate to assure Phil he didn’t mean him when he was talking about ‘toxicity’ on This Morning. He knows who his real friends are.”
Phil also sees wife Steph and daughters Molly and Ruby as his “rocks”.
A friend said: “At his lowest when he left ITV, they had a bed ready for him in the psychiatric unit of a private hospital because they were so fearful he would harm himself.”
Cast Away was watched by more than a million people each night.
Friends say Burning Bright Productions, who made the show, have been discussing making future documentaries with Phil.
One added: “It is something Phil is very open to but he wants to take time to consider his options.”
Holly’s team did not comment when approached by The Sun.
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