Holly Willoughby's biggest feuds - 'fake friends' rant to Peter Jones clash
Holly Willoughby has a large circle of famous friends - but some celebrities have awkwardly turned their backs on her.
The Dancing on Ice presenter has dominated headlines in recent years, from her 'feud' with former co-host and best pal Phillip Schofield to her heartbreaking decision to quit This Morning. The mum-of-three has had a close support network to rely on throughout the highs and lows.
But some pals have made savage claims against her in the past, dubbing her friendships 'fake' and airing the 'devastating' impacts of Holly putting her career first. Here, we take a look at the friends and ex-pals who have fallen out with the 43-year-old TV star.
Phillip Schofield
The ex-This Morning duo were the best of pals until Phil's affair scandal came to light (S Meddle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Holly and Phil were co-presenters and best pals for more than 17 years until their long-running friendship crumbled in the public eye. Last May, Phillip Schofield's 'unwise but not illegal' affair scandal came to light after he confessed to a secret relationship with a much younger male colleague.
Holly admitted that she felt 'blindsided', having asked him several times if the rumours were true. In a statement on Instagram, she said: "When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."
Corrie's Sue Cleaver says I'm A Celebrity stint helped her to push boundaries
However, some This Morning viewers noticed a 'rift' between the duo in the weeks leading up to Phil's shock departure. At the time, sources claimed that Holly and Phil were 'separate entities' and their seemingly impenetrable partnership had 'cooled'.
Amid the ongoing rumours, Phil shut down suggestions of a feud. He told The Sun: "Holly's support throughout meant the world to me." But sources close to Holly claim she was "deeply upset" over allegedly being kept in the dark over Phil's brother Timothy facing child sex offences - which he was later convicted of.
In October, Mail Online reported Phil felt 'really sad' about the whole situation. A source told the publication: "They are not friends and it's very, very unlikely they ever will be ever again." However, it was also reported that Holly was 'really happy' to hear from Phil when he reached out to her when she left This Morning.
A source said: "Holly and Phil's friendship was so close before the events of this year. Phil's decision to reach out, and the welcome it has been received with by Holly, shows that there is still a bond there. The hope is they can regain some of the ground lost, and support each other again."
As Holly returns to her Dancing On Ice presenting duties without her usual co-host, Phil is still laying low and has no plans to return to TV or showbiz.
Eamon Holmes
Eamon Holmes made bombshell claims about Holly 'using people' (S Meddle/ITV/REX)Former co-star Eamon Holmes laid into Holly in his bombshell interview with GB News last year, accusing her of "using people" and "mixing in circles, which she thought would open doors for her". He went on to accuse her friendship with This Morning host Alison Hammond of being faked for the cameras.
"This nonsense that goes on that Holly Willoughby now has Alison Hammond as her best friend, and it's Alison Hammond's birthday party and Alison Hammond goes to Holly Willoughby select night out with her friends," he ranted. "This wouldn't have happened two years ago. You kidding? Alison has been on that program 13 years.
"And I'm sure there was very little contact between her and the presenters. But then it all changed. They use people. It's disgusting. And it's tolerated." Eamon also went on to claim that neither Holly nor Phil knew any of the names of the crew members working on the show.
"This is legendary within the production team... how they just don't care," he insisted. The Mirror contacted Holly and Alison's representatives for comment at the time of Eamon's allegations.
He accused Holly and Alison Hammond of faking their friendship for TV (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Back in March 2023, it was reported that Holly was a 'big support' to Alison after she split with her partner. A source told Closer Magazine: "[Holly's] been helping to lift Alison's spirits by not only being there for her to talk to and a shoulder to lean on but by instilling her with confidence and helping her focus on how many positive things she has in her life."
Richard 'shuts up' GMB guest who says Hancock 'deserved' being called 'd***head'
They added that although the pair have "never been best friends", Alison was "touched" by Holly's support - which was said to have included almost daily texts and invitations to come over for wine.
One of Holly's co-stars also branded Holly and Alison 'great women' and said the friendships were 'real'. Vanessa Feltz told OK! last year: "We're proper friends in real life. It's not just a TV thing, it's a real thing. Both of those women are 100 percent there for me and have been in various different circumstances
"Without question, they're among the first women I hear from. They're great women and they're great friends. What you see on TV is what they're really like, and they're very funny. They are excellent company and tremendous for a girls' night out."
Fearne Cotton
Holly and Fearne Cotton grew up on TV together but drifted apart as adults (Instagram)Holly and Fearne Cotton were once the best of friends but reportedly drifted apart a couple of years ago. The pair, who met in the TV industry when they were teenagers, go back a long way but have gone in different directions. While Holly took on mainstream presenting duties, Fearne launched her own podcast series, Happy Place.
Then after they both turned 40 in 2021, the duo made the decision to work on their friendship, according to a source. An insider told Closer: "Holly and Fearne are in touch more than ever after rekindling their friendship.
"They had grown apart over the years as their careers and lives took them in different directions, but now they have so much in common - bonding over juggling motherhood, their careers, and their mental health."
The source added: "When they got back in touch, they both admitted fault over the fact they had gone so long without checking in with each other, and it quickly felt as though no time had passed at all. They were just as close as they always were."
Peter Jones
Holly and Peter started a lifestyle brand together before she walked away (Instagram)Peter Jones and Holly once had an awkward fallout over a joint business venture. Peter's other half Tara had been "exceptionally close" with Holly before the latter backed out of their huge £11million lifestyle brand collaboration at the eleventh hour.
The two families had been close for more than 10 years - with Peter owning a 40 percent stake in Holly's husband Dan Baldwin's TV production company - and would regularly go on holiday together. Lifestyle brand Truly was set up by Tara and Holly in 2016, with Peter becoming chairman in March 2018.
But Holly dropped the bombshell she was withdrawing from the business venture at the last minute. Peter was said to be 'furious' when he discovered that Holly was abandoning the project during a tense meeting at his business headquarters in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
When the news was announced in September 2018, a source told the Mail Online: "Truly was by far the top of Holly's priorities. It was going to be her long-term future that would see her through the next couple of decades. Her decision to pull out left everyone involved absolutely stunned."
Experts believed Holly's departure could have cost Truly millions due to hefty investments in products and possible launch delays. At the time, a source close to Peter said: "We wouldn't comment on his business affairs." Holly decided to put all of her focus on her partnership with M&S and her commitments with ITV.
Explaining her reasons in an Instagram statement, Holly wrote: "After much consideration, I have made the decision to step away from Truly. To launch a brand needs total dedication and at the moment, with so many other commitments, this is not something I feel I can do without it starting to affect my family time at home. I wish Truly all the best for the future."
As for the status of their friendship now, Tara seemed to confirm that their failed joint venture had caused some permanent damage. When asked if they were still pals, she told The Telegraph: "Euggh. I'm not going to pretend. It was devastating. We were exceptionally close. And of course as a business, you really feel the loss of a celebrity face."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
