Holly Willoughby’s success on This Morning was ‘largely due to Phillip Schofield’

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have once again found themselves in the spotlight as Kim Woodburn reignites her long-standing criticism of the former This Morning hosts. 

The 82-year-old reality star famously clashed with Schofield during her 2017 appearance on the show, a moment that led her to label him as “rude” after he questioned her controversial behavior during her time on Celebrity Big Brother.

Years after their infamous spat, Woodburn has revisited the issue, criticising both Schofield, 62, and his former co-host Holly Willoughby, 43, particularly in light of their recent exits from This Morning. 

Speaking in an interview with Reach PLC in association with WhichBingo, Woodburn shared her opinion of Schofield, saying, “I think Phillip Schofield started out as a great presenter, he was, you know, to be fair. He did a lot of shows and he did them impeccably and was very likable. 

“Do you know what happened? The last few years of his career, he got too big for his boots. When I was interviewed by him, he was rude, he was opinionated, he was on the edge of the sofa looking at me.”

Woodburn didn’t hold back on her thoughts about Willoughby either, questioning her role on the show. “What did she ever do on the show? She was 14 years of Phillip Schofield, money for old rope, she didn’t do anything. She sat there when he was arguing with people or questioning people on something serious, and when it turned out, what did Holly do?” 

Woodburn further claimed that Willoughby’s success on the program was largely due to Schofield, adding, “If it wasn’t for Phil, Holly wouldn’t have survived on the show for 14 years.”

This isn’t the first time Woodburn has publicly criticised the duo. After Schofield’s 2023 departure from ITV following his admission of an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague, Woodburn voiced her disapproval. 

She told The Sun in May of that year, “He was almost always rude, judgmental, and looked at his guests as if they’d just fallen out of a piece of cheese. It’s astonishing he had the nerve to look down at others given the sordid secrets he was hiding.”

With both Schofield and Willoughby no longer on the show, Woodburn’s harsh words add another layer to the ongoing fallout from their time on This Morning.