Phillip Schofield received support from Holly Willoughby after his brother Timothy was arrested for child se* offences.
However, friends revealed that Phil was hurt when Holly distanced herself from him publicly during Timothy’s trial last May, reported The Sun.
This distancing occurred amidst unfounded rumours that Holly was unaware of Phil’s brother’s court case, leaving her feeling blindsided by the news of the arrest.
Phil now believes that Holly, once his closest friend, began to build a wall between them, recognising that the situation could negatively impact “her brand.”
Insiders previously told The Sun that the pressure from Timothy’s arrest had contributed to the growing rift between Phil and Holly.
Although Holly has never addressed Timothy’s crimes publicly, messages obtained by The Sun indicate that she did discuss the matter with Phil in December 2021, following the arrest.
After learning Timothy was being taken in by a friend after he was bailed, Holly messaged Phil and asked if the friend giving him a place to stay “knew what he had done?”
Holly also wrote to Phil about her shock and said it was “hard to believe”.
A friend said: “Phil feels that he was sacked because of the bad press around his brother. Everyone knew about Tim – including Holly.
“They had a backstage make-up room called ‘The Sanctuary’ at This Morning, where Phil first assembled trusted pals including Holly and told them, tearfully, about his brother. Holly held his hand and was super kind.
“But Phil feels she distanced herself from it publicly because it was bad for her brand. But she supported Phil and was disgusted by what his brother had done.”
The rift between them spiralled – with Phil later admitting he had lied to Holly about his affair with a colleague.
Pals said Holly cut Phil off dead, adding: “He feels so betrayed by Holly still.
“Phil acknowledges that he lied to Holly about the affair but he apologised profusely.
“She dropped him like a stone, despite everything they had been through.
“He’ll never get over what he feels is a betrayal.”
Timothy was jailed for 12 years in May last year.
