Phillip Schofield’s brutal Holly Willoughby revenge plan 'exposed' as comeback backfires

On Monday, Phillip Schofield made his dramatic TV return with an appearance on Channel 5’s gruelling reality mini-series, Cast Away.

This comes after he was forced to step down from his ITV hosting gigs including his 20-year job on This Morning in May 2023.

At the time, the 62-year-old confessed to an “unwise but not illegal affair” with a younger colleague.

In his resignation letter, he said that his personal life had “become the story” and he wanted to “protect the show I love”.

Following his hiatus from broadcasting, Phillip starred in a three-episode series which saw his stranded on an island near Madagascar in complete isolation for 10 days.

The show left many divided with some having empathy for the star, while other viewers saw it as an attempt to salvage his reputation.

According to Celebrity PR Specialist Kayley Cornelius, Cast Away will backfire on Phillip while propelling his former co-host Holly Willougby into a new wave of success.

On behalf of Betfred Lotto, Kayley Cornelius said: “There’s an argument to be made that Phillip Schofield has strategically timed the release of his new Channel 5 series, Cast Away, to spite his former co-star Holly Willoughby.

“With Holly’s new Netflix series with Bear Grylls set to air early next year, this would be around the time we’d expect trailers and snippets to be rolled out to the press and public to start building up hype and excitement.

“However, Phillip’s new series may have jeopardised any promotional plans Netflix had in the pipeline, as Holly’s name is now entangled in the negative press and backlash Phil is currently facing.”

Kayley continued: “Throughout the series, Phil has made a number of ambiguous digs, which many believe are aimed at Holly.

“All of these seem carefully designed to provoke her or damage her brand ahead of what is objectively her biggest solo gig to date.

“That said, these remarks will likely backfire on Phillip and may have actually done Holly a huge favour, as fans appear to be rallying behind the former This Morning presenter more than ever, setting Holly up for a new wave of success.”

Holly, who also left This Morning in October 2023 after an alarming abduction scheme came to light, has maintained complete silence over Phillip's controversy and return to screens.

“Holly’s team has so far cleverly used this as an opportunity to leverage her Wylde Moon brand, and by continuing to act unbothered, she’s taking the best approach right now.”

The expert claimed: “A poorly worded statement from Holly could ruin her upcoming launch. If she does choose to respond, she’ll need to do it in a more sophisticated way, showing a level-headed approach to avoid following in Phillip’s footsteps.”

As for the odds, Kayley shared: “Priced at 1/4, Betfred strongly tips Holly to release an explosive tell-all memoir by the end of 2025.

“If she were to publish a book detailing her experiences—from leaving This Morning to dealing with the stalker scandal and her fallout with Phillip Schofield—timed correctly, this alone could propel her to viral success, potentially earning her six, or even seven figures in revenue.”