Phillip Schofield seems to have poked fun at his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby after breaking his TV hiatus.
The 62-year-old announced earlier this week he would be appearing on Channel 5’s Cast Away after being away from the public eye since May 2023.
While he seems to be opening up about the scandal he was involved in during the show, it’s been reported that the first episode of the programme also sees him taking aim at Willoughby, 43.
The duo were once close, having fronted This Morning together for years, but it seems they have distanced from each other since Schofield left ITV following an affair admission scandal.
Reports of a feud between Willoughby and Schofield came just before the latter admitted to the affair before leaving ITV and withdrawing from the public eye.
Cast Away will see him deserted in Madagascar for 10 days. During the first instalment, the disgraced TV personality reportedly aimed a dig at his former colleague.
Phillip Schofield has broken his TV hiatus with Channel 5’s Cast Away
Channel 5
The Metro reports that Schofield can be seen in the episode sitting down at the dinner table with his family, including his wife Stephanie Lowe and their two daughters, Molly and Ruby.
Jokingly alluding to Willouoghby’s This Morning speech following Schofield’s exit, in which she famously asked viewers “Are you ok?” Schofield seems to mock her.
Making a quip about the moment, which was circulated widely on social media at the time, Schofield tells his family: “If you’re ok then we’re ok and I’m ok. Are you ok?”
The former long-term broadcaster confirmed on Tuesday he would be back on screens, and it seems during his time alone he addresses the controversy surrounding his fall from grace.
Schofield admitted to having had an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger ITV colleague in May 2023, resulting in him leaving the channel and stepping away from the limelight.
In a trailer for the Channel Five show, Schofield can be seen walking along a beach and getting tearful as he talks about the scandal.
He also told the cameras: “I’ve been cast away on a desert island. It’s my chance to tell my side of my story.”
In another moment, he reflects: “I know what I did was unwise, but is it enough to absolutely destroy someone?”
Phillip Schofield seems to take aim at former ITV colleague Holly Willoughby
PA
Many of the former presenter’s ITV co-stars have commented on the news of his TV return, with Loose Women star Nadiya Sawalha, 59, refusing to hold back as she shared her criticisms on Thursday.
She commented: “When I was first sent it, there was no message with it, so I thought it was a joke.”
Speaking on the Coffee Moaning podcast, she continued: “I just couldn’t believe it. It took me so long to get to grips with it. Then I re-watched it.
“First of all, I cringed. If I’m honest, I absolutely cringed when I saw that video. I thought, ‘that is so embarrassing.’ That was my first feeling.”
