31 May 2023 , 19:50
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“I’m not going anywhere”... a defiant battle cry, which usually signals the beginning of the end for many an embattled high-profile figure – usually in politics.
Kwasi Kwarteng uttered the phrase 24 hours before he was sacked for crashing the UK economy.
Days later Liz Truss insisted she wouldn’t quit as Prime Minister but was quickly out the door after just 49 days at Number 10.
So Holly Willoughby proclaiming she is staying put and has no intention of quitting This Morning over the Phillip Schofield scandal can mean only one thing for ITV’s golden girl – she’s likely to be collecting her P45 by the end of the month.
With pressure mounting over who knew what about Phillip’s affair with a younger colleague and claims of a cover-up, the spotlight has inevitably turned to butter-wouldn’t-melt Holly.
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Holly and Phil in one of their last appearances together on the show (Pixel8000)With the whole showbiz world seemingly aware of what was going on behind the scenes, how can Holly claim to have been left in the dark?
Now if, or rather when she goes, I believe there is only one person who can save the show.
Step forward Alison Hammond, the walking ray of sunshine who gallantly held the fort with dependable Dermot O’Leary as the scandal engulfed all before it.
She’s warm, funny and relatable. It’s been brilliant to watch her star rise. This is a woman who has put in years of graft and it’s all paying off.
There has been talk of Holly and Alison becoming a new TV double act. That would be a disaster – for Alison.
She should be given the chance to shine in her own right and there’s no way Queen Holly is going to give her equal billing.
Alison has come a long way from the court jester role that the channel has tried to shape her into and being paired with Holly would be a step back.
And don’t be fooled by all the online gushing on social media.
Earlier this week former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes branded the friendship between Holly and Alison “nonsense” saying: “This wouldn’t have happened two years ago... Alison Hammond has been on that programme for 13 years and I’m sure there was very little contact between her and the presenters.
“But then it all changed, people just use other people. It’s disgusting and it’s tolerated.” Funny how Alison is finally allowed to play with the cool kids now she’s on the way up.
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Despite her protestations, Holly is inextricably and fatefully tied to Phil and it’s impossible to see how she can survive.
Alison on the other hand is a TV star in the making and quite possibly the only one who can save this British morning TV institution.