Holly Willoughby's This Morning return was 'highly strategised' with her 'relieved it's over'

This Morning bosses revealed today that Holly Willoughby was being paid significantly less than her former co-star Phillip Schofield when she first joined the programme. Holly took over the role from Fern Britton who was said to have quit the show after learning that she was earning £250,000 less than her co-host each year.

This Morning fans have been left 'uncomfortable' over Ruth Langsford and Holly Willoughby's latest exchange, after an 'awkward' segment on the show today. Ruth, 63, who's husband Eamonn Holmes, 62, has been publicly bashing Holly, 42, and her former co-host Phillip Schofield, 61, was anchoring Monday's Loose Women, which runs straight after This Morning. As normal, This Morning cut to Loose Women, where viewers find out what the Loose Women panel will be talking about on that day's show.

Holly Willoughby has shared a series of new snaps in an elegant all-black outfit via her lifestyle account, Wylde Moon, as she gets back to work on her other projects following her This Morning return. The star went away on holiday to the Algarve in Portugal over the school half term, and it coincided with the scandal surrounding her former ITV co-host Phillip Schofield, who quit his role on This Morning and then resigned from ITV after admitting he'd previously had an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger colleague.

Holly Willoughby appeared to clap back at Eamonn Holmes' brutal claims about her friendship with Alison Hammond as she made a cheeky remark on This Morning today.

Holly Willoughby returned to the This Morning sofa without her longtime co-host Phillip Schofield on 5 June.The presenter, 42, was joined by Big Brother winner and fellow This Morning presenter Josie Gibson as she gave a heartfelt speech addressing the events of the last few weeks. While Holly has been away on leave, Phillip Schofield quit the show “with immediate effect”, before confessing to an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger staffer. Holly had been intermittently reacting to the revelations via her Instagram account, but it wasn’t clear what, if anything, she would be allowed to say when she returned to daytime TV.

Amanda Holden appeared to poke fun at Holly Willoughby's return to This Morning, as she referenced the TV presenter's opening remarks on Instagram. Returning to the morning show on Monday, Holly, 42, opened the show by asking viewers: "Firstly, are you OK?" before going on to address the departure of her former co-host Phillip Schofield, who recently stepped down from both the show and ITV as a whole. Now, Amanda, 52, has taken to Instagram to poke fun at Holly's return.

Holly Willoughby has reportedly made a vow to never publicly talk about the recent scandal surrounding Phillip Schofield again, after addressing it this week during live morning TV.The This Morning presenter, 42, who returned to the show on Monday, 5 June, after an extended half-term break, told the British public that she felt 'shaken and let down' by her former best friend, while reading out a statement. It came after an intense few weeks for the popular daytime show, during which long-time host Philip stepped down from his role, amid "feud" rumours with Holly. He admitted to an affair with a younger male colleague just days later.

Holly Willoughby made her return to This Morning as the fallout from Phillip Schofield's affair admission continues. The presenter has been absent from the programme for a fortnight after initially extended her break when her former co-star 'stepped back' from the show.

This Morning bosses are reportedly planning to introduce format changes including 'heavy vetting' of public callers to protect Holly Willoughby and her co-stars from outbursts over the Phillip Schofield scandal. Holly, 42, is set to return to the ITV show on Monday June 5 and, according to the Daily Mail, production staff will take on the important role of screening callers. The more stringent vetting will mean viewers won't be able to send in photos or social media posts to the show's interactive segments.

Phillip Schofield has said he won't watch Holly Willoughby's return to This Morning. The presenter will make a comeback to screens on Monday (June 5) for the first time since her co-host quit the show before admitting he lied to his bosses and colleagues about his affair with a younger ITV male employee.

Piers Morgan has said Holly Willoughby was left in an "impossible position" as she returned to This Morning following Phillip Schofield's departure. The former Good Morning Britain host says Holly's hardest problem now will be finding Phil's replacement. It comes after the This Morning star returned to work for the first time since Phillip quit the show and ITV after admitting to an affair with a younger colleague.

Phillip Schofield "will not be watching Holly Willoughby's Monday This Morning return", a friend of the former presenter has claimed. Phillip, 61, stepped down from the show last month, following which he confessed to having had an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger male colleague. After his resignation, it was announced that his former co-star Holly, 42, would be taking an extended half-term break.

Holly Willoughby has vowed to never address the Phillip Schofield scandal again after returning to This Morning.

Eamonn Holmes has weighed in with his response to Holly Willoughby's This Morning return. The former host of the ITV daytime show has been more than vocal with his thoughts on the scandal involving his ex-colleague Phillip Schofield.

Ahead of her return to This Morning, Holly Willoughby has penned a cryptic message on social media. The TV presenter has been absent from the show since her former co-worker Phillip Schofield, 61, stepped down after 21 years with immediate effect. Since then, Phillip, 61, has resigned from ITV all together and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a young male colleague on This Morning.

This Morning viewers will welcome a "naturally apprehensive" Holly Willoughby back to the sofa on Monday morning. In light of the ongoing Phillip Schofield scandal - the 61 year old recently issued a number of public statements, confirming both his immediate exit as presenter and an "on-off" affair with a young colleague - the last few weeks will have been stressful for all involved with This Morning. Having enjoyed an early half-term family holiday in Portugal, it's now time for Holly, 42, to return to the screen alongside her new co-presenter Josie Gibson.

Dermot O’Leary has paid a heartfelt tribute to his This Morning co-host Alison Hammond and the entire show production team after taking the lead with presenting in the wake of Phillip Schofield’s departure last week. Dermot and Alison stepped into the limelight to take on the presenting duties previously held by Phil and co-host Holly Willoughby this week, after Phillip resigned from the show after admitting he had engaged in an affair with a much younger colleague.

Holly Willoughby is set to return to This Morning after a two week break on Monday 5 June, following Phillip Schofield's axe from ITV. It has now been confirmed that her co-host for the show will be Josie Gibson.

Holly Willoughby made light work of Phillip Schofield's latest jaw-dropping BBC interview, by posting a natural, bare-faced selfie to her Instagram. Ignoring the drama as it unfolds today with Phillip's further revelations continuing to spill from his exclusive chat with Amol Rajan, the blonde beauty looked radiant and glowing.This carefree shot has been posted on Holly's Wylde Moon lifestyle Instagram page, where the site claims to offer guidance to the 178k followers, and helps you to reconnect with yourself.

This Morning's Twitter account has remained silent since the news of Philip Schofield's affair with a younger colleague. After the bombshell revelation was made public on May 27, the ITV daytime show's social media page has not posted any content.