HOLLY Willoughby was spotted enjoying some winter sun in Portugal this week as she escaped the latest Phillip Schofield drama.
The 43-year-old jetted off for the half term break with her husband Dan Baldwin and three kids – Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and Chester, eight – to their favourite holiday destination.
Looking as stylish as ever, Holly wore a pair of denim hotpants teamed with a navy jumper and hat.
The former This Morning presenter was no doubt in need of a holiday after an incredibly testing 12 months.
Holly took a step back from the spotlight following her exit from This Morning last year.
The star had presented the ITV daytime programme for 14 years, but left following co-star and former friend Phillip’s shock resignation after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a younger colleague.
She was also struggling with the ordeal of discovering that a man had been plotting to kidnap, rape and murder her.
But in recent months Holly has been slowly starting to return to the limelight and even made an appearance at the National Television Awards.
The This Morning saga was brought back to the forefront though as Phillip made comeback on Channel 5’s Cast Away, which saw him opening up and lashing out at his former co-host Holly and old ITV bosses Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley.
Whilst Schofield didn’t name the three on air, he did make it clear he blames “three s***s” for the end of his TV career and spectacular fall from fame.
During Cast Away, Phil claimed he was sacked because of bad publicity around his brother, who was jailed for 12 years in May last year for sexual offences involving a child.
It was in stark contrast to how his departure played out publicly, with Phil releasing a statement saying he was stepping down after an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger show runner.
Phil and Holly’s relationship had appeared strained towards the end of their time on This Morning, with Phil later admitting he had lied to Holly about his affair with a younger male colleague.
The Sun revealed how Phil, 62, had created the brutal nickname – the witch – for his former best friend after they fell out last year.
Holly, 43, has yet to publicly respond to the comments but those close to the star told The Sun she’d never rise to Phil.
A pal added: “Holly isn’t batting an eyelid at this, it’s like she couldn’t care less.
“Phil is coming across as incredibly bitter.
“Holly knows who her friends are and they’re the people she pays attention to.”
Cast Away verdict
By Rod McPhee
OVER three nights – and three hour-long episodes – Phillip Schofield has been bearing his soul in new Channel 5 show Cast Away.
And it’s basically a chance for the former This Morning host to explain the circumstances that saw him leave the show last year.
To put it mildly, he left under something of a cloud, admitting he’d had a fling with a much younger runner on the programme. But in the C5 show he presents his own versions of events – one which is at odds with the narrative that emerged at the time.
He was portrayed as a man who’d had an “unwise” affair, who’d resigned as a result and had let many of his colleagues down.
But in Cast Away Philip insists he was fired by ITV and not for the affair, but because of the bad publicity that surrounded the crimes of his paedophile brother. He summed it up best when he claimed he’d been “pushed under a bus.”
After watching Cast Away what you’re left with is something rather confusing, however.
Did Philip think he’d done something wrong by having the fling with the runner, or not? For example, he said he wouldn’t have been slammed for it quite so much if it were a heterosexual fling.
He said he: “would have received a pat on the back for having an affair with a woman.” This infers that the only thing wrong with it was that it was a same sex fling. So why does he also say: “I will be forever sorry. I screwed up. I made a mistake.”
The answer, I suspect, is that the whole affair was a murky business. There were so many blurred lines around appropriateness, professionalism and honesty.
The only firm conclusion you can draw from the show is that Phillip himself isn’t ENTIRELY sure to what extent He was guilty of wrongdoing.
Amid the confusion, what will the viewing public think? I suspect that this will leave those who disliked Phillip to feel even more suspicious of him.
Those who backed him, will feel reassured too. But those who still aren’t sure what to think will be none-the-wiser – and I’m not sure if that’s what Phillip would have wanted.