Phillip Schofield says he and Holly Willoughby no longer speak

Schofield stepped down from ITV last Friday (May 26) after he revealed he'd had an affair with a younger male colleague.

This came a week after he stepped away from his role on ITV breakfast show This Morning after an alleged off-air rift with fellow co-host Holly Willoughby.

In an interview with The Sun, Schofield revealed he has not heard from Willoughby since sending her an apology message following the news about the affair and said she knew nothing about it. 

He said: "I’ve lost my best friend. I let her (Holly) down. I let that entire show (This Morning) down. I let the viewers down.

Phillip Schofield said I've lost my best friend. (Image: ITV)

“Holly did not know (about the romance). And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, ‘I am so, so sorry that I lied to you’.

“She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply, as well.

"So yeah. If anyone is in any way linking Holly to this; that is ­absolutely, wholly untrue.

“I had no feud with Holly. She is my TV sister. But quite rightly, when I am in the middle of a s**t show with bad press over something where I have done nothing wrong — in fact, I did everything right — it’s a witch hunt. And that strips that (friendship) away.

When will Holly Willoughby return to This Morning?

Willoughby is currently taking a break from This Morning, which she has hosted with Schofield for 14 years, for half term. 

She left the show a week earlier than originally planned following Schofield's announcement he would be stepping down from the show.

Eamonn Holmes (far right) believes we have seen the last of Holly Willoughby on This Morning. (Image: PA)

Schofield said: "Quite rightly, she is going to take a step back and think, ‘I have to step back from this’, and I understand that completely.

“As we see now, this is a vicious game and the last thing you want is for something to stick on you.

“It was becoming bigger than the people we had on the show. I understand that.”

Schofield went on to say the last time the pair spoke was earlier this week when he messaged her following his statement defending This Morning from accusations of 'toxicity'.

Willoughby is due to return to This Morning next Monday, June 5.

Although former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes thinks we may have seen the last of Willoughby on the This Morning sofa. 

Speaking on Dan Wootton’s GB News show on Monday morning, Holmes said: “Not only should Phillip go, but Holly should follow him close out the door.

“I don’t think you will ever see Holly Willoughby back on the couch."