Does Holly Willoughby still speak to Phillip Schofield? What we know about ex pals

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were once close pals but there were reports of tension last year, with his scandalous resignation from ITV further affecting their friendship

It's now been more than a year since Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield last hosted This Morning together, which marked the apparent end of a years-long TV partnership.

Holly, 43, and Phil, 62, had fronted the ITV show together since 2009 but both left, on separate occasions, last year. Phil stepped down in May that year, before resigning from ITV altogether, whilst Holly announced her departure from This Morning months later in October.

Phil's resignation coincided with him admitting to having had an "unwise but not illegal" relationship with a younger colleague whilst on This Morning. At the time, he apologised for having previously lied about the situation, including to "best friend" Holly. He announced his resignation in a statement issued in May last year, in which he also stated that the "consensual on-off relationship" was "now over".

Holly - who is set to present an award at the National Television Awards (NTAs) on Wednesday night - said she found it "very hurtful" that Phil had lied to her about the relationship. She later said that she also found it "hard to see the toll that [the scandal's] taken on [his] mental health".

There had already been speculation of tension within the decade-long friendship amid several controversies, including the 'queue-gate' scandal, prior to his resignation. It's unknown how much contact, if any, they have had with each other in recent months but there's been suggestions that the pair - who were once thought to be close friends - might not rekindle their friendship any time soon.

Phil told the Sun in June last year: "I've lost my best friend. I let her down." He asserted that Holly didn't know about his relationship and said she was one of the first recipients of an apology text from him. Phil however stated: "She didn't reply and I understand why she didn't reply."

At the time, Phil denied a "feud" with her but suggested that he understood why she would want to "take a step back" amid the "bad press" he had been receiving that year. And addressing speculation from the month prior that they were "barely speaking," Phil admitted that was the case.

It was then reported in October that Phil had reached out to Holly following a difficult few months for her. Holly, who remained on This Morning following his departure, announced her own exit from the show that month, saying that she had made the decision for herself and her family. Just days before, Holly was rushed out of the studio after becoming aware of a plot, which was foiled by cops, to kidnap, rape and murder her. Gavin Plumb, 37, was arrested and charged and accused of charges including soliciting to commit murder and incitement to commit kidnap. During a trial, which concluded in March this year, he was slapped with three life sentences, each carrying a minimum jail term of 15 years and 85 days.

Phil was said to have reach out to Holly in October last year, with a source telling the Mirror at the time: "Holly and Phil's friendship was so close before the events of this year. Phil's decision to reach out, and the welcome it has been received with by Holly, shows that there is still a bond there. The hope is they can regain some of the ground lost, and support each other again."

Just days later though, a source told the Daily Mail that it was "very unlikely" that they would be friends again. Speculating about the presenters, the source said: "They are not friends and it's very, very unlikely they ever will be ever again." And in February this year, a source told Heat magazine that Holly had to "move on" and couldn't maintain a relationship with his family either. The source said: "Phil betrayed Holly and let her down badly. And, as much as she loves his family and feels a lot of sympathy for them, she couldn’t carry on that relationship after their fallout. It’s something she’ll never really get over. She had to cut the whole family off in order to move on."

It remains unclear if there's been any reconciliation since then, but Holly and Phil are no longer following each other on Instagram. She was still following him in September last year, even after the scandal surrounding his resignation, though he had already stopped following her by then.

Although she isn't following her former colleague anymore, Holly is still following Phil's two daughters Molly Schofield, 31, and Ruby Schofield, 28, whom he shares with his wife Stephanie Lowe, 60. They however aren't currently following her back on the platform.

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.