8 October 2024, 01:46 | Updated: 8 October 2024, 05:40
Picture:
Alamy
Phillip Schofield’s bombshell message to Holly Willoughby during his affair scandal has been revealed.
Schofield was axed from This Morning last May, following an “unwise” affair with a younger male colleague.
Just a day before his removal from the show was made public, the presenter is said to have reached out to his “TV sister” Holly Willoughby.
He accused her of not stepping in to help as the scandal unfolded, according to the Mirror.
The message allegedly said: “You brought me down.”
A friend told the publication: “As well as saying she had brought him down, he said he couldn’t believe his TV sister would do this to him.”
It comes as the insider revealed that Phil now refers to his once close friend Holly as ‘the witch’ and reportedly now uses a witch emoji in reference to his former co-star.
Read more: Phillip Schofield recounts moment he was ‘let go’ from This Morning
Picture:
Alamy
Schofield is understood to have asked her for a public show of support such as a statement or picture of them together.
However, his pleas were ignored.
The lack of support meant their time co-hosting together would be over as viewers would no longer believe their on-screen chemistry, the friend claimed.
“He feels it was a simple gesture that might have saved his job and her refusal to do so effectively finished him off,” they said.
“Believing in the TV chemistry was the bedrock of the This Morning format.”
They went on to say: “Phillip considered her a friend, his TV sister as he called her, and always backed her, even recommending her to do the jungle.
“Her lack of public support was a low blow in his eyes.”
Willoughby allegedly told Schofield that she did not want to “feed the narrative”.
Schofield was so upset that he complained to two senior TV bosses about her, the friend claimed.
The 62-year-old previously admitted to the secret affair but has strongly denied accusations of grooming.
He addressed the scandal during a three-part series called Cast Away – which also marked his shock return to TV just 16 months after being axed.
The show saw Schofield sent to a tropical island for 10 days with a handful of cameras.
It was intended to allow him to “confront the challenges of total isolation, the forces of nature, and provide the time to battle within his own mind as he explores his own controversial story”.