Phillip Schofield has branded Holly Willoughby “the witch” who brought him down.

The former This Morning hosts were once the best of friends, but after Phillip admitted to his “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague, it soon soured. After Schofield announced he was quitting all of his TV roles, Holly addressed This Morning fans and said she felt “shaken, troubled, let down,” and “worried” for the wellbeing of both Phillip and the younger male.

She added that Schofield hadn’t been telling the truth to his friends, colleagues and fans. While Phillip has recently taken a swipe at Holly on his Channel 5 Cast Away show, his nickname for Holly has now emerged. According to Phillip’s friends, he believes that Schofield directly brought him down.

Speaking to The Sun, a source said she is known as “the witch” amongst his inner circle. They also claim that he uses the hatted hag emoji to discuss Holly if her name ever crops up. They added: “He dislikes Holly so much now he calls her ‘the witch’ when talking about her and sends the emoji to his mates if she comes up. He messaged Holly and told her, ‘You brought me down.’ He was furious and still is.”

Phillip has a rather blistering nickname for Holly ( 
Image:
Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Phillip was allegedly left stunned when Holly didn’t come to his aid following the end of his career. Schofield blamed her for not publicly backing him amid reports they had fallen out in the aftermath of his brother’s court case in May 2023. The former presenter had asked Holly for a show of support or a picture of them together, but his request was refused.

Speaking to the Mirror, a pal of Phillip said that he knew his future on the programme was doomed the minute Holly didn’t show support for him. “He feels it was a simple gesture that might have saved his job and her refusal to do so effectively finished him off. Believing in the TV chemistry was the bedrock of the This Morning format,” a pal told us.

She reportedly told Schofield that she didn’t want to “feed the narrative” and that ITV bosses didn’t want her to publicly respond. After he sent her the WhatsApp, Holly is said to have replied that she was in the dark about what was going on, the pal said. But Schofield was so upset that he later messaged two senior ITV bosses to complain about her, the friend says.

The presenter said he felt as if Holly and a This Morning boss had staged a “very well constructed coup” as his TV career imploded. A source said: “Phillip considered her a friend, his TV sister as he called her, and always backed her, even recommending her to do the jungle. Her lack of public support was a low blow in his eyes.”