Holly Willoughby's exit from This Morning reportedly left show staff in tears – and not because they were going to miss her.
The mum-of-three quit the show this week after 14 years after a very difficult 12 months. As well as a number of scandals, admittedly not all caused by her, she was also the victim of an alleged kidnap and murder plot which was luckily foiled last week.
But, according to reports, when her resignation letter hit social media, some staff on This Morning were left devastated. Not because they were going to miss Holly, but, according to Daily Mail, because they felt Holly had hung the show out to dry.
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"It's been one thing after another," a show source reportedly said. "It's like a soap opera and that's OK if you're one of the highly-paid stars getting chauffeured to work and back, but if you're grafting behind the scenes to keep things afloat, it's incredibly frustrating."
The source went on: "Holly decides to leave, she puts it on Instagram. Imagine how that makes you feel.
"There were tears. The team has been through so much in the last year.
"Many feel they are at the end of their tethers. It has been heartbreaking, and hard, to watch it all happen."
The show now looks completely different to how it did at the start of 2023. This year has also seen This Morning's other star presenter, Phillip Schofield, step away.
Schofe left the show after his paedophile brother was jailed for 12 years over child sex offences, and the negativity it drew to the show. He would later admit to having an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger runner and leave ITV altogether.
Both he and Holly also had to deal with backlash following Queen Elizabeth II's death last year, when they were accused of jumping the queue at her lying in state. There have also been a number of claims of This Morning being a "toxic" workplace, too.
On Tuesday (October 10), Holly released a statement announcing her exit. It read: "I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning.”
“To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together.”
“Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive. To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you.”
“Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You’ve been so loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day.
“Richard and Judy said ‘we only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers’.”
“It’s been an honour to just be part of it’s story and I know this story has many chapters left to go. Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family.”
She finished the message: "I will miss you all so much." Then signed off with her name.
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