Phillip Schofield takes legal action over Holly Willoughby fallout ahead of pair’s return to This Morning sofa
PHILLIP Schofield has hired a lawyer to help him in the This Morning fallout with Holly Willoughby.
Insiders said he wanted to take back control after being “blindsided” by how public the tensions with Holly had become.
They will return on ITV today after vowing their rift would not escalate.
A source said: “Holly and Phil are professionals and they can turn it on like no one else.
“Although behind the scenes their relationship is nothing like it was, they are both dedicated to This Morning and keeping it together for viewers.”
Phil, 61, has instructed a lawyer to assist him amid the show fallout with 42-year-old Holly.
Insiders said Phil wanted to take back control after being “blindsided” by how public the growing rift had become.
He feared he would be axed by ITV after it emerged Holly, his TV partner of 14 years, was prepared to strike out alone on the show.
An insider said: “Phil has instructed a lawyer to help keep his reputation intact.
“They are overseeing stories relating to ITV and his role on This Morning and are ensuring Phil is protected.
“Phil has done absolutely nothing wrong and doesn’t have a PR team guiding him.
“He and ITV felt he needed someone, officially, in his corner to ward off stuff that isn’t true.”
“Phil doesn’t want this to get beyond his control.”
From 10am, the pair are due to interview I’m A Celebrity All-Stars winner Myleene Klass and discuss topics in the news after insiders said a truce had been agreed.
The source added: “This Morning are aware of the issues and are doing everything they can to keep things running smoothly.”
Holly and Phil will be on screen together until late July and then take a six-week summer break.
It is believed they will hold talks with ITV on how they can move forward before their return in September.
Since Holly and Phil’s last show together on Thursday, he has chosen to lie low.
Holly appeared stony-faced when seen on a trip out on Saturday.
Yesterday she made no reference to the rift as she posted a loving dedication on Instagram to her sister Kelly.
She shared a selfie of them with her 8.2million followers and wrote: “It’s this beautiful human’s birthday . . . have the greatest day today and always . . . love you so much.”
Those close to Holly said she was “blindsided” by Phil’s emotional statement about their friendship last week, which confirmed the issues within their relationship.
Similarly, after Holly chose to remain silent those close to Phil said he felt hurt that she had failed to speak openly about him.