Holly Willoughby, 38, and Phillip Schofield, 57, struggled to work around a difficult guest on This Morning yesterday. The pair were joined by two baby skunks, cradling the creatures at the beginning of the show. However, things started to go wrong when Holly’s skunk looked ready to spray. Immortalising the awkward moment on Instagram, in view of her 5.7 million followers, the presenter uploaded a picture of the animal with it’s tail held up high in the air, while she could be seen backing away fearfully.
“Naughty little skunk,” she captioned the hilarious snap, which also showed Phillip looking on in horror.
Luckily, the worst was avoided on This Morning when one of the animal’s handlers jumped into shot as soon as Holly bolted away in panic.
The handler quickly ensured the skunk’s tail was firmly down, while Holly squealed: “What’s happening? What’s happening? Is it going to go? Was she about to blow?”
Her co-star found the situation hysterical, bending over double with laughter at her nerves.
Meanwhile, Holly refused to return to her seat, even once the crisis was averted, instead opting to hover behind one of the studio’s pillars.
Mocking her, Phillip quipped: “You are such a scaredy cat!
“We did both jump out of the way,” he conceded.
Elsewhere, earlier this week Holly Willoughby thanked This Morning for “moving heaven and earth” to allow her to mark a very special moment after returning to work.
Posting a picture of herself walking her youngest son, Chester, four, to school, she told her Instagram followers: “And he’s off…
“Full of a whole host of emotions watching him walk through the classroom door,” she added. “My baby is growing up.
“Thank you @thismorning for moving heaven and earth so I could drop him off… that’s a day we will both never forget.”
Holly and her husband Dan Baldwin are parents to three children, Harry, 10, Belle, eight, and Chester.
The couple first met in 2004 and started dating after forming a close friendship.
They tied the knot in 2007.
The This Morning favourite doesn’t show her children’s faces on social media in order to protect their privacy, but regularly shares half-glimpses into her family life.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10.30am on ITV.