Ulrika Jonsson slams ‘narcissistic melting pot of ego’ between Holly and Phil

Ulrika Jonsson, 55, has hit out at This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby, 42, and Phillip Schofield, 51, following rumours of a rift between them.

The columnist alleged there is “something rotten” happening on the daytime TV programme amid a “war of egos” between its much-loved hosts.

In her The Sun column about the alleged tension between Holly and Phil, Ulrika typed: “Daytime TV is a lively, narcissistic melting pot of ego, vanity, hierarchy and domination, not to mention the bevvy of managers and agents standing backstage ready to compete for their clients’ best outcomes.

“For the show’s dedicated followers, however, I suspect this war of the egos is a great sadness.

“They have invested in both presenters over the years and are fond of them.

“On-screen duos are about balance, harmony and respect and it can be very hard to get right.”

It comes amid reports that the This Morning co-hosts are “not as close as they once were” and now barely speak off-camera.

There have also been claims that the rift may actually have started three years ago when Holly began to “quietly distance” herself from Phillip.

The co-stars were once part of the same management – YMU Group – before Holly split from them to start her own agency Roxy Management. 

However, her tie to her old management became embroiled in a legal battle over her future earnings.

The case was settled out of court, with Holly earning £1million from them.  

Phillip has stayed with the agency and is even a shareholder, which reportedly began the division between the two.

A source told MailOnline: “Holly quietly started to distance herself from Phil back in 2020. The legal issues rumbled on for 18 months but Holly fought for what was right. 

“Ultimately, Phil chose to stay and Holly chose to leave, it wasn’t easy at the time.”

A representative for Holly and Phil has been contacted by Express.co.uk.

The Mirror also claimed that ITV is prepared to drop Phil from the show if viewers “no longer believe in the chemistry” between him and Holly.

A source told the paper: “He will think he can tough it out, like he has previous controversies such as Queue-gate. But to be honest, it’s out of his hands. If the viewers don’t believe in him and Holly, something’s got to give – and that will most likely be Phil. It’s a massive week for them both.”