On This Morning today (May 17), viewers were left divided as Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby shared a “cringe” on-air kiss amid their alleged feud.
All eyes have been on the king and queen of daytime TV this week after reports of their”rift” hit the headlines. But Phil and Holly put on a united front on Monday morning (May 15) and have co-hosted the show every day since.
That was until today – when Holly left the ITV show before the end due to royal commitments. And, when the two bid their farewells, the moment soon got the internet talking.
This Morning today: Holly leaves Phil on-air
Earlier today, Holly announced live on-air that she was ditching the show before the end – leaving Phil to host on his lonesome. This was because Holly was heading to Buckingham Palace for her duty with the Prince’s Trust Awards.
And by midday, the moment finally came for the pair to say their goodbyes. Phil asked his co-host if she had everything she needed for her royal-filled afternoon. She then replied: “I’m going, be good. Don’t be naughty,” before leaning in for a kiss on the cheek.
Wow that takes the title for the definition of cringe.
“Happy to hold the fort,” Phillip fired back. He added: “Goodbye now, goodbye. And don’t forget, it’s Your Majesty, it’s Your Majesty!”
And plenty of viewers were left feeling all sorts of emotions after watching what they speculated was an “orchestrated” exchange.
Holly and Phil share ‘cringe’ kiss on This Morning
Rushing over to Twitter, one viewer speculated: “That was so orchestrated, and beyond obvious.” As someone else quipped: “That hug and kiss – oh wow that takes the title for the definition of cringe.”
A third chimed in and remarked: “Oh that kiss and cuddle.” “There goes the obligatory hug and kiss,” proclaimed another viewer. Another added: “This level of fakery is absolute cringe.”
Oh that kiss and cuddle #thismorning pic.twitter.com/JzOAkOZMlM
— DJ Fyne (@WorfDelm2016) May 17, 2023
The tabloids after “Phil and Holly kiss eachother live on air”, Holly “walks out” and Philip calls Christine gorgeous #ThisMorning pic.twitter.com/yuF5sT86Va
— Emma (@emmaloveswinter) May 17, 2023
Other fans, were all for Holly and Phil’s kiss.
In fact, one person gushed: “It was a lovely moment between Holly and Philip. Holly kissed Philip. She was in a good mood. She was in good spirits as she was going to present the award.”
Entertainment Daily has reached out to ITV for comment.
Holly and Phillip ‘feuding’
Over the past week or so, there has been report after report claiming that Phillip and Holly are feuding. The duo – who have presented This Morning together for 14 years now – are reportedly “barely speaking” behind the scenes. The feud is believed to be down to a couple of reasons – notably the allegation that Phillip kept Holly in the dark about his brother’s sex abuse trial.
“Holly adores This Morning and for the first time in 14 years, she has made it clear that should Phil ever leave she would want to stay,” a source alleged to The Sun last week. “They are separate entities. To those around them on set, it has become clear recently that Holly and Phil are not as close as they once were.”
However, while neither presenter has addressed the feud on the show since the rumours began, Phil has released a statement of his own. In it, he insisted of his relationship with Holly: “We’re the best of friends.”
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