TV presenter Kim Woodburn has weighed in on Philip Schofield’s recent announcement that he will be quitting his longtime hosting position on This Morning. She claims he made the right call, but added that his co-host Holly Willoughby should follow in his footsteps. Woodburn and Schofield infamously clashed during her appearances as a guest on the daytime talk show. She stated that he had a bad attitude towards her and would snicker and laugh at her during their interactions. Woodburn is convinced that Schofield’s decision was a result of the recent drama surrounding the show and his fallout with Willoughby. She also criticised Willoughby’s lack of action when it came to calling out Schofield’s inappropriate behaviour towards guests. Woodburn took issue with Willoughby continuing to co-host the program without Schofield and claimed that she was not a good presenter.
Schofield, who has been on the show for 21 years, made the decision to quit amid the ongoing drama surrounding the show and his fallout with Willoughby. The situation was allegedly so contentious that he had to consult with lawyers while Willoughby brought in her own PR team. Their rocky relationship was evident when the two failed to show up at the BAFTA TV Awards together. Willoughby remains on the show, while Schofield will go on to pursue other primetime projects.
Former This Morning co-host Eamonn also chimed in, slamming the partnership between the two presenters and insisting that the programme will continue regardless of who is hosting. He urged the duo to quit rather than damage the show’s reputation. Eamonn, who co-hosted the show with his wife Ruth Langsford from 2006 until August 2021, was “dropped” by ITV and replaced by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
It has been suggested that the falling out between Schofield and Willoughby was a long time coming, with the two slowly growing distant in recent months. The final nail in the coffin was apparently Schofield’s failure to inform Willoughby about his brother’s child sex trial. After several meetings with the network, Schofield finally relented and agreed to terminate his contract, effective immediately. He was described as “a broken man” by insiders and reportedly fled on holiday following the announcement.
