Holly Willoughby deliberately wore white to convince ITV viewers of her ‘innocence’ as she returned to This Morning for the first time since Phillip Schofield’s shock departure, a body language expert claimed today.
The star, 42, was on screen with co-host Josie Gibson acting as her ‘bodyguard’ and ‘carer’ as they held back tears and hugged, behaving like ‘survivors of a disaster’, Judi James said.
Judi said that Holly tried to make herself the star of the show and steer This Morning away from the scandal, but said the presenter could not hide her tension and anxiety.
Holly’s statement was ‘religious in tone’, Judi said, asking if viewers were OK after the turmoil of the past fortnight.
She said: ‘Could Holly’s intro speech steer the This Morning show back into the world of saccharine sweetness after the ongoing dark dramas? Wearing white to promote innocence and with Josie sitting beside her like a protective carer might sit beside the survivor of some disaster, Holly immediately grasped Josie’s hand before launching into her speech.
Holly Willoughby tried to give the impression of ‘business as usual’ as she returned to the This Morning sofa
Holly tried to be ‘perky’ after her speech – but the tension was clear, Judi said
Josie behaved like Holly’s minder, Judi said
‘A sigh and a puff of air from the mouth announced inner tension. Her “Are you ok?” to her audience threw out the opportunity to share in the trauma. We have been feeling a lot like Holly, according to her, and she clearly wasn’t referring to her beach holiday.
‘Her breathing sounding stressed as she used words like “shaken” and “troubled”, performing an in-breath of regret when she mentioned the toll on “Phil’s mental health”.
‘Becoming almost religious in tone, she spoke about “What unites us is a desire to heal” and “Strength in each other”.
‘Holly illustrated this deep emotional experience theme by placing both hands on her chest, over her heart to throw love out for “All you kind messages”. She held Josie’s hand again for support as the “Show we love” line came out again.
‘There was the hint of a backflip into the perkiness of the show but Josie went for the enforced hug and it was the sort of hug that made them look like survivors, lasting beyond the normal one or two seconds. It was Holly who did the “break” patting.
‘Then came the ultimate signal of business as usual. A big ‘Oh so…’ from Josie and Holly smiled and tossed her head to show resilience, with only one small thumb-rub gesture to suggest ongoing discomfort’.
Holly Willoughby and co-presenter Josie Gibson hold hands on This Morning today
Holly Willoughby tells This Morning viewers that she feels ‘shaken, troubled, let down and worried’ as she returned to the programme after the Phillip Schofield furore
Seated next to her temporary co-host Josie Gibson, Willoughby said: ‘Josie, thank you for being here. Right, deep breath’
Schofield apologised to Holly Willoughby, who presented This Morning with him for 14 years, for lying about his secret relationship with his colleague (centre) and for tainting her public image
Phillip Schofield was pictured embracing his mother Pat in Newquay, Cornwall, moments after being told bosses at ITV wanted him to leave This Morning
Willoughby appeared on screen for the first time following the shock departure of her former co-host Schofield and his subsequent revelation of an affair with a younger ITV male employee.
Seated next to her temporary co-host Josie Gibson, Willoughby said: ‘Josie, thank you for being here. Right, deep breath.’
Addressing viewers, she continued: ‘Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil. And I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions.’
During interviews last week, Schofield told The Sun and the BBC that Willoughby did not know about the ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair, and has apologised for lying to her.
Dressed in a sleeveless white buttoned dress from Reiss, Willoughby continued: ‘You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV, and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.
‘And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health.
‘I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal, for the health and wellbeing of everyone.’
Schofield has spoken about the toll the fallout of the scandal has had on his mental health, telling The Sun it has had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind and he is currently getting by ‘hour by hour’.
In a statement she wrote herself, Willoughby thanked viewers for their support, saying: ‘I hope that as we start this new chapter, and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
‘And from my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning.
‘Myself, Josie, Dermot (O’Leary), Alison (Hammond), Craig (Doyle), and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you that, this show that we love.’
Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes and the show’s former resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh have both separately made allegations about the culture behind the scenes at the programme in the wake of Schofield’s departure.
ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall has been called to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.
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