EAMONN Holmes has poured scorn on claims that he’s ‘consumed by jealousy’ of his former This Morning co-star Philip Schofield.
The TV presenter’s feud with Philip Schofield has come to light after Philip’s big return to television this week in Channel 5’s Castaway.
In the three-part survival show the ex-presenter filmed himself talking to the camera from a Madagascan Island, where he lashed out those who precipitated his downfall after he was sacked from ITV last year.
In light of Schofield’s TV return, friends of the presenter have claimed that Eamonn has a personal vendetta against Phil, after Eamonn was axed from the Friday slot on This Morning.
Other sources claim that Eamonn has always been jealous of Phil, who until May 2023, had been the star of the show.
But now Eamonn has laughed off these jealousy claims, suggesting that it couldn’t be further from the truth.
A source told Mail Online: “’He finds it laughable. Phillip is just desperately trying to blame everyone else when the reality is Phillip needs to look in the mirror to see who is responsible for what happened.
‘It’s particularly funny to see claims that Eamonn is consumed by jealousy. His view is what’s he got to be jealous of Phillip over? The only way he was able to get back on TV was taking himself off to a desert island.’
Eamonn and his estranged wife, Ruth Langsford, held the fort on Fridays for 14 years until they lost their seats on the sofa in a show shake up in November 2021, after being replaced by Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond.
But sources close to Philip have since told The Sun that the duo lost their spot due to ratings and also because This Morning editor Martin Frizell couldn’t stand the sight of Eamonn eating on TV.”
TV stalwart Eamonn was said to be especially aggrieved about being let go by ITV, claiming he was never given a proper reason.
His culling was made even more frustrating by his belief Phillip had been given unwavering support by ITV, despite his behavior behind the scenes.
Former co-hosts Fern Britton and Amanda Holden have been less than complimentary in the past.
Amanda even admitted to feeling let down by Phil, after she’d hosted alongside him in 2015 while Holly was on maternity leave, but he’d failed to back her to stand in for Holly who’d been asked to help out on I am a Celebrity in 2018.
The incident confirmed Eamonn’s belief that Phillip had constantly been lauded, despite his shabby conduct behind the scenes, sources claimed.
Last week, Eamonn furiously hit out at Phillip ahead of his TV comeback, saying he is ‘very proud to have thrown him under the bus.’
The Irish broadcaster made his feelings clear about his former co-star’s TV comeback- the Channel 5 show Castaway.
As Isobel Webster revealed on Monday’s GB News breakfast show that Schofield claimed he was ‘thrown under a bus’ Holmes was quick to reply.”
“Well if I am one of the people who threw him under the bus I am very proud to have done it. The man is addicted to fame, absolutely addicted to fame.”
Holmes – later added that Schofield ‘deserves to be in exile’.
Rumours about hostility between Phillip and Eamonn had circulated for years, after almost three decades of working cheek by jowl.
While Holmes hosted GMTV, Schofield presented This Morning before Holmes joined him on the daytime show in 2006.
In a bid to keep the peace on the much-loved ITV daytime programme, Holmes and Schofield had tried to keep their mutual resentment to themselves.
When Phillip came out as gay live on This Morning back in February 2020, Eamonn was a picture of moral support – even though sources say he was furious about being forced to back the man he so disliked.
Indeed Eamonn’s deep dislike of Philip was even said to have taken its toll on his marriage to Ruth Langsford, who is still employed by ITV’s Loose Women and found his outspoken rants about Philip and ITV, wholly damaging.
The pair announced their split in May after 14 years of marriage after work commitments ‘took their marriage in different directions,’ and Eamonn has since been pictured while on holiday with girlfriend Katie Alexander.
A source told MailOnline: ‘Eamonn’s dislike for Phillip existed for a long time, but it became very public at the end of his marriage to Ruth. And as his hatred for him and ITV grew, the cracks in their relationship grew deeper.
‘Ruth became a bit dismayed at Eamonn for making repeated digs at ITV after they were axed from This Morning.
‘Ruth wasn’t over the moon about it . But given she was still a cemented member of the Loose Women family, it made things somewhat awkward for her to have Eamonn criticising ITV.
‘But Eamonn loathes Phillip and has no regrets about what he said and certainly doesn’t think he threw him under the bus.
‘He doesn’t regret any of his behaviour; he believes he’s addicted to fame, and he can’t believe he’s attempted to relaunch himself with his documentary this week.
‘Eamonn is trying to move on with his life, and has no plans to ever make it up with Phillip.’
By Rod McPhee
OVER three nights – and three hour-long episodes – Phillip Schofield has been bearing his soul in new Channel 5 show Cast Away.
And it’s basically a chance for the former This Morning host to explain the circumstances that saw him leave the show last year.
To put it mildly, he left under something of a cloud, admitting he’d had a fling with a much younger runner on the programme. But in the C5 show he presents his own versions of events – one which is at odds with the narrative that emerged at the time.
He was portrayed as a man who’d had an “unwise” affair, who’d resigned as a result and had let many of his colleagues down.
But in Cast Away Philip insists he was fired by ITV and not for the affair, but because of the bad publicity that surrounded the crimes of his paedophile brother. He summed it up best when he claimed he’d been “pushed under a bus.”
After watching Cast Away what you’re left with is something rather confusing, however.
Did Philip think he’d done something wrong by having the fling with the runner, or not? For example, he said he wouldn’t have been slammed for it quite so much if it were a heterosexual fling.
He said he: “would have received a pat on the back for having an affair with a woman.” This infers that the only thing wrong with it was that it was a same sex fling. So why does he also say: “I will be forever sorry. I screwed up. I made a mistake.”
The answer, I suspect, is that the whole affair was a murky business. There were so many blurred lines around appropriateness, professionalism and honesty.
The only firm conclusion you can draw from the show is that Phillip himself isn’t ENTIRELY sure to what extent He was guilty of wrongdoing.
Amid the confusion, what will the viewing public think? I suspect that this will leave those who disliked Phillip to feel even more suspicious of him.
Those who backed him, will feel reassured too. But those who still aren’t sure what to think will be none-the-wiser – and I’m not sure if that’s what Phillip would have wanted.
