Holly 'in talks' as Phillip Schofield's This Morning future at risk

‘Holly just wants Phil gone’: Holly Willoughby ‘begins contract negotiations’ as Phillip Schofield’s This Morning future hangs in the balance with show insiders claiming it’s ‘too late’ to save friendship amid fears pair might not appear on tomorrow’s show

• Holly, 42, is said to have asked her team to negotiate terms with ITV bosses
• Phillip, 61, now faces an uncertain future with his contract up in September 

Holly Willoughby is said to have begun contract negotiations with ITV bosses as she pushes for new terms following the breakdown of her friendship with Phillip Schofield, whose future on the programme now hangs in the balance.

Last night it was revealed that it is ‘too late’ to save their friendship following allegations that Phillip, 61, did not tell Holly that he was going off air earlier this year due to his brother being on trial for sexual offences against a teenage boy.

As the rift deepens, the 42-year-old This Morning presenter is said to have asked her team to reach out to ITV to negotiate a new contract in a bid to spur the channel into making a decision on the show’s future line-up.

Meanwhile, another insider alleged that Mr Schofield has been nicknamed ‘The Grim Reaper’ on This Morning by some people who don’t get on with him. 

It comes after Mr Schofield released a statement about their friendship without first consulting her, in which he admitted the last few weeks ‘haven’t been easy for either of us’.

Holly Willoughby, 42, is said to have begun contract negotiations with ITV bosses as she pushes for new terms following the breakdown of her friendship with Phillip Schofield

Fans of the pair have spotted tension between them in recent weeks as it is reported their friendship is essentially over

As Phillip made his statement, sources close to Ms Willoughby told MailOnline that she had no idea that Mr Schofield was going to make a statement. They added the first she saw of it was when it was published online. 

Bosses are said to be in a major crisis, with reports Holly, 42, wants to pull the plug on their ITV partnership for good.

She previously put their growing differences aside because she felt strong loyalty towards her co-host, who was key to her landing the This Morning job in 2009. 

But Phillip, 61, has now spoken out on the reports their relationship has become strained following a string of controversies including Queuegate and his brother, Timothy, being convicted of child sex offences.

A source close to Ms Willoughby on Saturday night told the Mirror: ‘Holly was considering her position on the show earlier this year, as she couldn’t see Phil being ousted.

‘But that is now a real possibility and she wants to see a decision made on both of their futures quickly. That is what is behind Holly asking her team to reach out to ITV – she is trying to move things forward.

‘There has been no bloodbath meeting yet, but that could well be to come. The sooner it happens, the sooner she can rebrand herself.’

ITV has refused to say whether either she or Mr Schofield will be on air this week, with a decision expected today.

However it looks increasingly certain Mr Schofield, 61, will leave the show. His contract is up in September and This Morning’s editor Martin Frizell – formerly one of Mr Schofield’s biggest backers – is said to be ‘fed up of clearing up Phillip’s mess’. However, he still has high-level support elsewhere in ITV.

Ms Willoughby was photographed yesterday looking glum behind her dark glasses as she visited Hampshire.

The rift seems to mark the end of a friendship in which they would enjoy regular dinner dates at one another’s homes and go on holiday together. 

A source close to Ms Willoughby told the Mail On Sunday: ‘Don’t be surprised if you never see them together again, apart from on camera. This has all been so heartbreaking for Holly, but she knows she has to stand on her own two feet and cut the strings.

The couple have worked together for years and used to be very close outside of the studio

A close source said: ‘Nobody ever thought it would end like this. They were part of one another’s families and they spent a lot of their weekends socialising’

‘Nobody ever thought it would end like this. They were part of one another’s families and they spent a lot of their weekends socialising. She has tried so hard.’

Read more: It’s over! After 15 years, Holly Willoughby ‘cuts ties’ with This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield as the ITV duo’s friendship lies in TATTERS with the pair no longer speaking to each other when the cameras stop rolling 

Insiders say the most likely outcome is that Ms Willoughby will front This Morning with her new friend Alison Hammond – who co-hosts the show on Fridays – or solo.

But it is understood there are no plans for ITV peace talks between the pair, who now are said to barely speak to one another off camera. 

Amid fears their working relationship could end, a show source told The Sun: ‘Holly just wants Phil gone.’

The source also claimed that the atmosphere on set has become ‘shocking’, with some believing that mediation would be a good idea.

The presenting duo have worked together for more than a decade after Holly took over from Fern Britton as Mr Schofield’s co-host back in 2009.

Ms Willoughby joined the This Morning team three years after she started hosting Dancing On Ice in 2006, while Mr Schofield first appeared on the chat show four years earlier in 2002.

The presenting duo have since left viewers in hysterics with their on and off-screen antics, and they have been extremely close for many years.

ITV has been contacted for comment. 

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