Holly Willoughby faces backlash as she chooses not to address criticism over helicopter

Holly Willoughby is going through some tough times. Earlier in June, she was caught in the Phillip Schofield drama when her co-host stepped down from ITV.

It was later revealed that Schofield was forced to step down because he had an affair with a younger co-worker whom he met while he was underage. While the drama unfolded and revelations kept coming out, Willoughby took her half-term scheduled break.

When she returned to This Morning, she commented on the affair for the first time in a criticised statement.

Since the Phillip Schofield story came out, Willoughby has been under a lot of attack. She is once again...

Holly Willoughby facing backlash

Holly Willoughby is one of the stars of the network ITV. Throughout her career she hosted some iconic shows like Dancing on Ice and The Xtra Factor. But she is now mostly known for hosting the morning show This Morning.

Schofield and Willoughby started hosting the show together in 2009 and offered viewers memorable moments. However, both hosts’ popularity collapsed in June 2023.

While Phillip Schoffield was caught up in his scandal which led him to quitting his entire career, Holly chose to not comment on her colleague’s mishap.

However, when she came back to the program after her vacation, she gave a highly anticipated statement which was not well received at all, by fans and other celebrities.

She only took two weeks off so she could practice that in the mirror.

If I ever need throwing under the bus I'll know where to come. 🙄

Scripted message delivered in nauseatingly saccharine tones. Everything about this looks fake.

Read more: Holly Willoughby could be the new host of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing according to insider

Even worse, This Morning colleague, Rochelle Humes, was allegedly upset that Willoughby chose to leave her out of the speech. This allegation could make sense if you consider the fact that Willoughby did mention some of her colleagues but failed to mention Humes who has been working on the show for many years. Moreover, the fact that Humes paid tribute to Schofield when the scandal first started could have played a part in the omission.

Humes' statement:

I've proudly been a part of the This Morning family for almost 10 years and over the last few, it has been an absolutely pleasure learning so much from you

Holly Willoughby, is she out of touch?

While the criticism mentioned above was mostly linked to Phillip Schofield, the one that follows isn’t.

This past weekend, the legendary festival Glastonbury took place. Hundreds of thousands of people flew in from all over the world to witness Elton John’s last UK performance.

Part of those people was Holly Willoughby. While it is normal for people to attend music festivals, the mode of transportation she chose left people upset. Indeed, the TV host chose to take a helicopter to Glastonbury.

In her weekly newsletter, Holly Willoughby offered an apology but… not for what you’d expect. She apologised for the fact that her newsletter was a day late, saying:

So sorry I’m a day late with this newsletter, but I went to Glastonbury for the first time in years and made the most of every minute.

Willoughby chose not to address the criticism concerning the use of the helicopter but continued to gush over her time at Glastonbury.

I spent three amazing days with incredible friends, listening to some of the best musicians on the planet – all whilst dancing like lunatics. Music brings people together like nothing else.

Read more:

⋙ Phillip Schofield's mother in hospital over 'unknown condition' as TV presenter continues to struggle

⋙ Phillip Schofield: This is what the TV presenter has been doing since leaving ITV

Sources:

Daily Mail: 'Something happened in my dressing room one day which I'll regret forever': Phillip Schofield reveals how affair began with 20-year-old This Morning runner as a kiss at ITV studios before 'five or six' sexual trysts

Birmingham Live: Holly Willoughby says she is 'so sorry' in lengthy open letter after Glastonbury

Daily Mail: Rochelle Humes pays tribute to Phillip Schofield and thanks presenter for being 'a fountain of knowledge and laughter' after his axing from This Morning