Amanda Holden brought her Heart Breakfast programme to an abrupt halt on Tuesday morning after co-presenter Jamie Theakston unexpectedly referenced Phillip Schofield during a live broadcast.
The 55-year-old was joined in the London studio by comedian Jack Whitehall, who appeared to discuss his upcoming hosting duties at the Brit Awards ceremony scheduled for Saturday at Manchester’s Co-op Live.
Conversation had turned to red carpet fashion, with Ms Holden enquiring whether Mr Whitehall planned to sport eye-catching socks in the style of his father, Michael.
The 37-year-old quipped that he had no intention of being “upstaged by a sock,” prompting Ms Holden to tease Mr Theakston about his own wardrobe choices.
Amanda Holden demanded the conversation be shut down
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PAMr Theakston’s response caught his co-host off guard when he remarked: “What are you talking about? Children’s television? That wasn’t me, that was Phillip Schofield.”
The laughter immediately ceased as Ms Holden demanded the conversation be shut down.
“Oh God, please, let’s not mention that name on air, it’s a family show!” she declared.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge has never hidden her feelings towards the former This Morning presenter.
Mr Schofield stepped down from ITV This Morning in 2023
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BBCThe animosity between Ms Holden and Mr Schofield stretches back to 2018, when the former television presenter allegedly lobbied ITV executives to select Rochelle Humes over Ms Holden for temporary presenting duties on This Morning.
Holly Willoughby had departed for Australia to take over Ant McPartlin’s hosting role on I’m A Celebrity, creating a vacancy alongside Mr Schofield.
Ms Holden had previously stepped in for Ms Willoughby during her 2014 maternity leave and allegedly believed she had secured the position.
A former daytime television executive claimed Mr Schofield “actively campaigned” for Ms Humes despite Ms Holden possessing greater experience.
Jamie Theakston unexpectedly referenced Phillip Schofield during the live broadcast
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PAITV subsequently insisted that producers rather than presenters made such casting decisions.
The discord was previously addressed on Heart Radio, when Mr Theakston questioned Ms Holden about developments in the dispute.
She told him at the time: “I’ve moved on from it, Jamie, you need to move on from it. I did offer to meet him for a coffee months ago, but he didn’t reply to my text. What can I say?”
Ms Holden has taken other swipes at her former colleague over the years, notably in 2019 when asked what she would never want to find in her home, responding: “Spiders, flies, and Phillip Schofield.”
In May 2023, Mr Schofield stepped down from ITV This Morning and was dropped by his talent agency after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a much younger male colleague on the show.
The revelation sparked a huge backlash, effectively ending his 35-year television career, leading to a very public fallout with co-host Ms Willoughby, and triggering a parliamentary inquiry into the “toxic” culture at This Morning.
It later emerged that Mr Schofield had paid the former colleague a six-figure sum as part of a settlement agreement, intended to support him after the scandal reportedly derailed his life and any potential future in television.
Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston
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After a 16-month absence, Mr Schofield returned to television in September 2024 on Channel 5’s reality series Cast Away, where he spent 10 days alone on a deserted island.
During the programme, he hit out at former colleagues and what he described as “toxic” figures within the industry, suggesting he would never return to the morning TV sofa.
