Holly Willoughby has vowed to never address the Phillip Schofield scandal again after returning to This Morning.
The 42-year-old returned to the ITV show on Monday after an extended half-term break and addressed Phillip's affair scandal for the first time on-air. Holly had been in Portugal with her family during her time off, but returned this week alongside Josie Gibson.
Holly addressed viewers in a prepared statement regarding Phillip's affair, as she said she hopes fans are able to heal following the scandal. However, some fans were left unimpressed and felt her statement was 'cold' but insiders say that Holly will be avoiding the subject for the foreseeable.
A source told The Sun: “This is the only time Holly will ever speak about Phil and what has happened. She still feels incredibly angry and upset by his actions and is very much still trying to get her head around it.
“It took a lot for Holly to compose herself and speak about what has gone on in the last few weeks. But people expecting her to sit and pour her heart out will be waiting for a long time.
“Holly is upset that Phil, who she believed to be a very close friend, lied to her about his affair. She is angry and that will take a long time for her to come to terms with."
This comes after Holly issued a statement on her return where she admitted to feeling 'shaken, troubled, let down and worried'. Appearing alongside Josie, she said: “It feels very strange sitting here without Phil and I imagine you might be feeling a lot like I have — shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the well-being of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions.”
She added: “You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.
“And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and well-being of everyone.
“I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.”
She then turned to hug Josie and told her: “I need a Josie cuddle," as Josie replied: “All we can do now is be the family that we are.”
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