A Christian take on Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby’s very public rift

I remember when Holly Willoughby announced she would be joining This Morning – or rather Simon Cowell let it slip on her behalf during a live Xtra Factor show. It was massive news, not least because she was the young, beautiful presenter replacing Fern Britton, while Phillip Schofield, Fern’s co-host would be staying on.

There are always headlines around Holly Willoughby – she is one of the UK’s most Googled women and as a tabloid journalist I can tell you that she is an easy click-rate booster. Over the years the public grew to love Holly and Phil and a morning duo. For a long time, they were the darlings of daytime TV, with their live laughing fits the stuff of legend.

But, if you’ve caught the front pages today and the general hubbub of late, you’ll know that their relationship is on the rocks. We are not privy to their conversations so there’s no way to discern the truth behind the rumours but I can give you a brief rundown of the main events. At the start of 2020 Phillip Schofield came out as gay on This Morning, the news caused a huge stir but was later eclipsed by the pandemic. There has been suggestion (completely unconfirmed) that Holly felt she and the show were used to manage his reputation during that time.

Former This Morning presenter Eammon Holmes has said the pair need “best actor” awards for the performance of friendship they effect on the show.

But things really kicked off last year when the pair were seen paying their respects to the Queen following her death, without joining the nine-hour queue to see her coffin. The likes of David Beckham and Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid all stood in line sparking outrage that Phil and Holly didn’t do the same. The duo explained that they were there with a crew for filming so used the press entrance along with many other reporters, but the world had made their decision.

The negative headlines put a strain on their relationship, and reports suggest things spiralled from there. It’s been suggested that Holly has said she would be happy to continue presenting the show without Phil, and that – aside from their work on This Morning – she’s cut all ties with her famous co-host. Last Thursday Phil released a statement, reportedly without consulting Holly, saying that they are still the best of friends. 

While former This Morning presenter Eammon Holmes has said the pair need “best actor” awards for the performance of friendship they effect on the show. This morning’s headlines suggest that Phil has hit the panic button and hired lawyers and a top PR agent to manage the crisis. It is, in short, a bit of a mess.

Relationships are messy though. We know that. God knows that. We are called to live with, work with and worship with one another. But that’s not easy. When it comes to Phil and Holly, we are called to forgive, and my hope is that they would be able to embrace that forgiveness in its fulness without any resentment over what’s passed.

We do not need to be basking in other’s misery and waiting for their downfall.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul said: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13. That is easier said than done, but this is the framework we can all be working towards.

What is more concerning is the response of those around them. For example, the unnamed ITV presenter who told press: “This has been going on for some time. Everyone has been talking and now we are all rubbing our hands waiting to see what happens next.” We do not need to be basking in other’s misery and waiting for their downfall. Even those of us who aren’t working with them, but enjoying the headlines – could we ask ourselves why there’s a part of us that gets a kick out of other’s conflict?

As Phil and Holly hit our screens again this morning – perhaps there’s a challenge for each of us. Do we delight in other’s troubles? And what could be a more Christian response?