Inside This Morning’s ‘toxic’ feuds – from Phillip Schofield’s bitter fall-out with Fern Britton to Eamonn Holmes storm
FOR millions of loyal viewers, it’s a safe, cosy daytime show fronted by friendly faces that are almost part of the family.
But, in recent years, This Morning has been plagued by rumours of backstage sniping and bitter feuds, with host Phillip Schofield often finding himself at the centre of the rows.
This weekend Eamonn Holmes, 62, fanned the flames once more, by branding the popular host “passive-aggressive” and claiming he is “renowned for snubbing people.”
He also took a swipe at ITV executives for suggesting he had walked away from his role in the show to join GB News when in fact he was axed, along with wife and co-presenter Ruth Langsford, 61.
“They're sly,” he told Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine. “They didn't want to announce that I'd been dropped because it would adversely affect audience figures, so they made it look as if I'd walked away from them rather than the other way round.”
But it’s just the latest in a long chain of rumoured feuds and frosty relationships on the ITV flagship.
Eamonn claims bosses branded him 'pale, stale and male'
Eamonn accused bosses of sacking him because he didn’t fit in with their “youth drive” and said he was branded “pale, stale and male.”
Holmes, who had previously co-presented ITV breakfast show GMTV for 12 years, added: “I'm not going to have myself derided as some sort of has-been. I may be male and pale but I'm still at the top of my game.”
After the interview was published, This Morning’s fashion guru Lisa Snowden appeared to support him on Instagram, along with former Loose Women star Saira Khan.
Eamonn posted a moody black and white shot of himself, sitting on the stairs looking away from the camera with the words: “In reflective mood today ….. but said what had to be said to set the record straight.”
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In a now deleted response Lisa posted a celebratory “raising hands” emoji and red heart emoji.
Saira, who worked with Ruth on Loose Women, was more openly supportive, writing: “Soo proud of you and everything you stand for.”
ITV bosses also denied treating the pair badly, saying: “This isn't a version of events we recognise and as we have said before we wish Eamonn all the very best.”
Fern fallout after 'living in Phil's shadow'
Fern Britton sensationally quit This Morning in 2009, after seven years, amid reports she'd "had enough of living in Phil's shadow".
She has persistently denied rumours she quit because her co-presenter was paid more and said an on-set incident sparked her shock resignation.
“Something happened and I thought, 'That's it really' and I walked away and resigned. I was treated pretty poorly, actually,” she said. “And after a while I just thought, 'Sod it'.”
In his 2020 autobiography, Phil shed light on what he believed to be the cause of their fall-out, which came after Fern accused him of “meddling” in the show’s content.
“I walked back into the make-up room and calmly said, ‘Please don’t do that to me again,’” he said.
“I think, for whatever reason, that was the point Fern decided she didn’t want to do This Morning any more.
“When she announced that she was leaving I was heartbroken. Heartbroken that our friendship had inexplicably gone so sour, and heartbroken because I’d never had a presenting partnership like that before.”
The row caused a bitter rift between the former friends, with Phillip admitting he has “tried over the years to make it right".
But this week, as the Eamonn Holmes storm raged, Fern seemed to bury the hatchet by recording a congratulatory message to mark the 40th anniversary of Phil’s TV career.
“Forty years is an incredible milestone, and it’s time for you to just stop and look back and see all that you have achieved, and be proud of it,” she said in the video, shown in a Lorraine special.
Amanda Holden 'snubbed' due to being 'difficult to manage'
Scofe found himself in the middle of another row, in 2015, when he called guest presenter Amanda Holden “scary” after she stood in during Holly Willoughby's maternity leave.
“She kept me on my toes,” he told Heat. “She has a faulty edit button and she forgets she’s on the telly, which is enormously endearing and funny, but occasionally quite scary.”
Three years later, Amanda lost out on a chance to take over presenting duties when Holly flew to Australia to present I’m A Celeb - and she was convinced Phillip had influenced ITV’s decision.
Reports claimed that she missed out on the job - which went to Rochelle Humes - after Phillip allegedly called her “difficult to manage”.
When Amanda appeared on the show as a guest, she reportedly confronted him during the advert break - and he was said to be “lost for words”.
The Heart radio host later made her feelings clear when asked by co-presenter Jamie Theakston what she’d hate to find in her house, firing back: “Spiders, flies … And Phillip Schofield.”
ITV has always denied the claims, saying “These reports are completely untrue. Presenters don’t make decisions regarding who appears on the show.”
But the row blew up again in June 2019 after a former ITV executive alleged that two people – including Amanda – had complained about Phil being “overbearing” and contributing to a “toxic” work environment.
In a rare move, Phillip slammed the claims, tweeting: “The end of another really sad weekend. When you try for 35 years to be the easiest, most fun person to work with and you read such hurtful and wildly untrue stories from nameless ‘sources’.
“Obviously I’ll take it on the chin. I just hope you know me better.”
Amanda claimed she had reached out to her former co-host, saying: "I did offer to meet him for a coffee months ago, he didn't reply to my text. ‘What can I say?’”
It’s understood the two have now put the row behind them.
Rift with Ruth after being cut off on live TV
The cracks between the main team on This Morning and Friday presenters Eamonn and Ruth began in 2019, over a live Loose Women trail.
Ruth was seen to slam her pen down in fury after Scofe cut her off, mid-sentence, during the clip and she later made a complaint to head of daytime TV Emma Gormley.
In his latest interview, Eamonn addressed the row, saying: “It's up to Ruth to say how she felt, but I was feeling hurt for her.
“No one would have snubbed me like that. I have a good Belfast street fighter in me… I would be direct. I don't go for presenters who think they have a special privilege or aura or influence.”
The souring of relations was evident at the National Television Awards, in July 2020, when Phil, Holly, Ruth and Eamonn took to the stage to collect a gong for the Best Live Magazine Show.
While Phillip praised the married presenters - saying “Your Fridays are fantastic, we love you so much” - fans sensed a frosty reception from Ruth, and said she had “forced a smile”.
The pair were dropped from their Friday slot, in November 2020, and replaced with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
Rumours of row between Ruth and Alison Hammond
Following their axing from the show, Ruth appeared to take a side swipe at replacement Alison Hammond - who started her TV career as a contestant on Big Brother.
“[Eamonn and I have] put the work in. We didn’t do a reality show and get an overnight job on the telly. We’ve come up through the ranks,” she told the Mirror.
The comments sparked rumours of simmering tension between the two presenters, but Ruth quickly denied she had been referring to Alison, 47, saying her comments were “not directed at anyone in particular”.
While both have denied any friction, Alison admitted that not all the This Morning presenters are the best of friends.
"We’re not on top of each other, do you know what I mean?” she told The Sun.
"Phillip and Holly, they go on holiday together. They genuinely love each other, in a brother and sister way.
"But when we finish everyone wants to go home to their families and see them. They all go and do their own thing."
Yesterday, as the tributes to Phillip poured in from colleagues - including Holly, former hosts Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, and his own family - Eamonn and Ruth were conspicuous in their absence.
In her gushing speech Holly - who replaced Fern Britton in 2009 - unwittingly contradicted ITV’s insistence that Phillip had no say in hiring presenters, by thanking him for landing her the job.
She revealed that Phillip pushed for her to join This Morning following Fern Britton's exit in 2009, believing that she was the "only one" who could do the job.
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"I don't know why you were so convinced of that," said Holly. "I thank you every day because I know that, really, you were on your own with that school of thought and it was really down to you standing by that, that I got that job.”
ITV have continually denied Phillip is behind the on-set rifts on the show, adding: “Phillip is a much-loved broadcaster and part of the ITV family. He’s a consummate professional and held in high regard at ITV.”