Holly Willoughby's rise above 'snubbed' TV hubby Phil and double act 'divorce'

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield are two of the best loved faces on telly, fighting off fits of giggles to host This Morning together since 2009.

But only one of them has received a nomination for Best Presenter at the National Television Awards this year - and this could cause angst behind the scenes.

Phil has hosted This Morning since 2002, and when Fern Britton quit in 2009, Phil was joined by Holly instead, having reportedly played a huge part in insisting she landed the coveted role.

And 40-year-old Holly's success soared, cementing her status as the queen of ITV.

Rumours of a strain in Holly and Phil's relationship emerged when Holly stepped in for Ant McPartlin hosting I’m A Celebrity alongside Dec Donnelly, helping ITV secure record viewing figures and winning a BAFTA.

Phil, 49, had posted to wish his pal good luck down under, to which a follower replied asking if he was jealous yet.

"Soooo jealous lol," replied Phil.

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A source told The Sun: "Phillip was furious. He didn’t want Holly mentioning her triumph when they reunited on This Morning.

"It felt very petty and bitter for someone who is his close friend. But it felt like he was jealous."

And in 2019, it was reported Phil was furious when Sunday Times Magazine featured an interview with the pair and, on the front cover, Holly was pictured wearing a cartoon crown, while ­Phil was left bare-headed.

The strapline read: "How Holly ­Willoughby eclipsed Phillip Schofield and became Britain’s hottest TV star."

According to The Sun, the magazine was forced to write an apology to Phil, who was said to be angered by the cover.

A source told the publication that the pair had agreed the interview was agreed on the understanding they would receive equal billing and the topic would be their shared success and popularity.

Holly Willoughby stepped in to host I'm a Celebrity with Declan Donnelly and won rave reviews (ITV)

"But when the magazine dropped, Phillip was fuming that Holly had a crayon crown airbrushed on to her head while he was crown-less and pictured grumpily looking on in her shadow," they said.

“The article itself was brilliant and the cover was a bit of irreverent fun.

“But Phillip was pretty peeved, to say the least — not with Holly but with how he had been usurped. For her part, Holly was also quite ­mortified and felt terrible."

The interview referred to a "few glimpses of spikiness" from Phillip while Holly admitted the pair do sometimes argue.

But when quizzed on if they get along in real life, Holly gushed: "It’s more than just a working relationship. It’s a genuine friendship."

Shortly afterwards, during a live special of This Morning at ­Birmingham’s NEC, Phil openly ranted about the magazine cover, The Sun reported.

Holly Willoughby and Bradley Walsh hosted Take Off together, and Phil pretended he was "divorcing" Holly (S Meddle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Phil and Holly have firmly denied any rumours of a rift (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Cha)

The tensions were said to have increased when Holly allegedly banned Phillip from posting videos of her drinking alcohol on his social media - and apparently asked her management company to break the news.

But claims of this "toxic atmosphere" were rubbished by This Morning's editor Martin Frizell, who said: "We have the smartest viewers watching telly and believe me they would be the first to notice any issues - they haven’t because there are none."

ITV also refuted any unrest, saying in a statement: "It's deeply disappointing and unfair for Phillip to be the target of this sort of malicious gossip.

"Phillip is a much respected broadcaster and colleague and this is absolutely not a description of This Morning that we recognise.

"Holly and Phil are great friends both on and off screen and are popular among viewers and colleagues alike."

And speaking at the launch of Dancing On Ice, Phil told The Mail On Sunday : "Can you imagine a feud between us ever happening? It's not as if we have to defend anything.

Holly and Phil hang out outside of work, including recently at Wimbledon (Instagram/Holly Willoughby)

"It's a shame… We are so open on the show, we are so open online and we go on holiday together. Holly is the sister I never had, we think at the same speed. It's so organic… it's a shame.

"Everyone who knows us, I mean, everyone at This Morning was like, 'What the hell?' The atmosphere in our studio is so wonderful, there's such a lovely team. Everyone is lovely."

Meanwhile, in an interview with Closer, Holly said their friendship is tighter than ever.

She explained: "It's funny, because we knew this would probably come up. Actually, it's been quite an easy one for us, because there's nothing to defend.

"We ring each other and talk to each other all the time anyway, about this and other things."

Holly then hit out at accusations that she fakes her famous giggles while hosting the ITV chat show with Phil.

Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond have been congratulating each other on their NTA nominations (Instagram/alisonhammond55)

Holly is up for a Best Presenter award (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"I'm on the telly for two and a half hours — let me tell you, I'm not that good an actress," she said.

Recently, Holly took on brand new show Take Off on BBC - but instead of Phil by her side, The Chase host Bradley Walsh co-presented the programme with her.

Phil pretended to be in a grump when he appeared on The One Show the same week their partnership was announced.

He said: "Wow, that happened quickly. We break up for the summer and the next thing I know you're with another man!

"It's fine, I'm obviously devastated but I want the dog and the CD collection."

The duo are hugely loved on This Morning, where they present Monday-Thursday.

But only one of them won a National Television Award nomination - and it's Holly, who is up against her fellow This Morning star Alison.

Phil has been snubbed from the category, which also includes Piers Morgan.

Alison congratulated Holly with a sweet Instagram picture together, telling her there was no one she would rather lose to - and Holly reposted it.

But Phil has yet to comment on Holly's proud moment.

However, any potential awkwardness over Holly winning the gong could be unlikely - the award has gone to Ant and Dec, who are also nominated, for the last 19 years.

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