Dan Wootton has claimed that one of Phillip Schofield’s co-presenters has spoken out against ITV for “standing by” the This Morning host, 61.
The complaints against the show have been piling as reports of a rift between Holly Willoughby, 42, and Phillip continue.
Writing for the Daily Mail, GB News presenter Dan, 40, claimed that a former co-presenter of Phillip, who was not named, messaged him to speak about the presenter, with the individual stating that it was “ridiculous how he’s so protected”.
“He is not loved by the viewers and adds nothing. People are scared of him.
“But why does ITV stand by him?” Dan quoted the unnamed source as saying.
READ MORE: Eamonn Holmes opens up on health traumas and says ‘every day is a struggle’
Dan also described the duo’s presence on the show as “more excruciating than usual”.
In his MailOnline column, he asked the question: “How can ITV continue to stand by Phillip, despite a succession of scandals and complaints from highly credible fellow presenters, given the brutality with which it’s discarded other stars, including Jeremy Kyle, Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson?”
Phillip is reported to have hired lawyers and PR experts in an attempt to restore his reputation.
The feud supposedly began after Holly discovered that Phillip’s brother had been charged with sexually assaulting a minor.
The former best friends appeared as usual on This Morning, but many fans claimed they could sense the tension.
One wrote on Twitter: “Phillip Schofield thinks he can fool us with this fake nice “everything is fine act” when Holly looks visibly uncomfortable being there.”
Former This Morning presenter and current GB News anchor Eamonn Holmes, 63, also shared his thoughts on the matter.
He said on GB News this morning: “I think there should have been a special award for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby for best actors.”
He added: “The public surely will suss that there’s no chemistry, that it’s a broken fit between the two of them and that This Morning does not depend on who presents it.”
Comedian Dapper Laughs also joined in to blast the network by posting on social media.
He tweeted a photo of himself looking out the window with the caption: “Sat thinking about how ITV dropped me over a joke and Schofield’s still on there.”
The network dropped Dapper Laughs, real name Daniel O’Reilly, 38, after a stand-up show discussed controversial topics in 2014.
Throughout the numerous questions rising against the show, Holly has remained fairly silent with mostly unnamed sources claiming to know how she is feeling.
Dan added in his newspaper column that a close friend expressed that the blonde star was “becoming concerned that some of the scandals connected to Phillip [were] damaging her reputation”.