Phillip Schofield is celebrating four decades in showbusiness and ITV didn’t hold back on the celebrations as they dedicated Lorraine and This Morning to him on Monday.
The TV presenter, 59, couldn’t conceal his shock Lorraine Kelly broke the news that her show would be dedicated to his 40th year in TV, while a host of fellow celebs paid tribute to the long-standing This Morning host.
While his co-presenter Holly Willoughby, 41, and Lorraine, 62, shared congratulatory messages to the star, there was a noteable silence from Eamonn Holmes and his wife Ruth Langsford following their feud.
Phillip was branded ‘passive-aggressive’ by Eamonn, 62, who also claimed Phillip ‘has a habit of ‘snubbing people’ during an interview with the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine over the weekend.
Phillip looked stunned after being surprised by the Scottish star during her namesake show, while he was having a chat with Holly in his dressing room.
Keeping quiet outside the door, Lorraine began: ‘We’ve got a very special show coming up. I’m about to surprise a pal and a broadcasting legend to mark 40 years on the telly.
Wow! Phillip Schofield couldn’t conceal his shock as Lorraine Kelly broke the news that Monday’s edition of This Morning would be dedicated to his 40th year in TV
‘So here’s a wee bit of a clue,’ she continued while holding a book titled, Phillip Schofield: 40 Years.
‘I’m outside This Morning’s make-up room, I’ve got a big book. He’s currently getting ready behind the door, I hope he’s there.
‘Hello, hello, hello, hello. You don’t know anything about this, do you? We couldn’t let 40 years on the telly… we couldn’t let it… Holly knew.
Knock knock: Keeping quiet outside the door, Lorraine began: ‘We’ve got a very special show coming up. I’m about to surprise a pal and a broadcasting legend to mark 40 years on the telly
Shock: Lorraine said: ‘I’m outside This Morning’s make-up room, I’ve got a big book. He’s currently getting ready behind the door, I hope he’s there’
In disbelief: The presenter, 59, looked stunned after being surprised by the Scottish star, 62, during her show while he was having a chinwag with Holly Willoughby in his dressing room
A surprised Phil questioned: ‘What have you done?’
Lorraine replied: ‘We’ve got lots of surprises for you, lots of people who want to say hello. So please come with me or we’ll be in big trouble.’
The former children’s TV host protested: ‘But I’m not mic’d or anything,’ while running down a corridor at Television Centre with his pal.
His co-star said: ‘It doesn’t matter, just hold that for a wee second and you can talk into that. We’ll go away. Come, come, come. It’s gonna be great fun.’
Hilarious: Lorraine squealed: ‘Hello, hello, hello, hello. You don’t know anything about this, do you? We couldn’t let 40 years on the telly… we couldn’t let it… Holly (centre) knew’
Exciting: The former children’s TV host protested: ‘But I’m not mic’d or anything,’ while running down a corridor at Television Centre with his pal
Eamonn co-hosted ITV’s Friday instalment of This Morning for 15 years with his wife Ruth Langsford, 61. They also covered for Phillip and Holly during the holidays.
But the longstanding TV couple were replaced by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in 2021.
Belfast native Eamonn, who now presents the breakfast show at GB News with co-host Isabel Webster, accused ITV bosses of making it look as if he had walked away when in fact he had ‘no idea’ why he was being relieved of the slot.
‘No one explained anything to me,’ he told Weekend magazine.
Not holding back: It comes after he was branded ‘passive-aggressive’ by Eamonn Holmes, 62, (pictured in January 2022) who also claimed Phillip ‘has a habit of ‘snubbing people’
‘I’m all for TV companies being able to choose who works for them, but it would be nice if you were told why you were going.
‘They’re sly. They didn’t want to announce that I’d been dropped because it would adversely affect audience figures, so they made it look as if I’d walked away from them rather than the other way round.’
Eamonn also targeted Phillip for cutting short his wife in the middle of a trailer for Loose Women on This Morning in 2019.
Ruth looked shocked, adding: ‘I only had about three more words to say.’
Tension: Eamonn also targeted Phillip for cutting short his wife Ruth Langsford (left) in the middle of a trailer for Loose Women on This Morning in 2019 (pictured February 2020)
Eamonn said he was ‘hurt’ by the slight. ‘Phillip is renowned for snubbing people,’ he said.
‘He’s very passive-aggressive. It’s up to Ruth to say how she felt, but I was feeling hurt for her. No one would have snubbed me like that.
‘I have a good Belfast street fighter in me… I would be direct. I don’t go for presenters who think they have a special privilege or aura or influence.’
Phillip began his career on the BBC as the host of its children’s counterpart, introducing programmes alongside Gordon the Gopher following by the Saturday morning series Going Live!
He landed his first ITV series Talking Telephone Numbers in 1994, and made his first appearance on This Morning in 2002 alongside Fern Britton.
When Fern left the show in 2009 she was replaced by Holly, and their partnership has gone down in TV history.
Phillip also co-hosts Dancing On Ice with Holly, and presents the game show 5 Gold Rings and the annual British Soap Awards.
It was 2002, when he was 40, that Schofield finally hit the big time as a presenter on This Morning. He has been there longer than original presenter Richard Madeley and is paid £1 million a year by ITV.
Throwback: Phillip began his career on the BBC as the host of its children’s counterpart, introducing programmes alongside Gordon the Gopher (pictured at an unknown time
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