Holly Willoughby dealt fresh blow weeks after Phillip Schofield scandal following apology to fans

Holly Willoughby appears to have been dealt a fresh blow weeks after she became embroiled in the Phillip Schofield scandal. The This Morning star has been pushing on as normal following her former friend and co-star's exit from the programme they hosted together for 14 years.

After taking a fortnight off hosting duties, Holly made a tearful return to the ITV daytime show as she extended her pre-planned half-term break following the announcement that her former co-star had quit This Morning due to their rumoured fallout behind the scenes 'becoming the story'.

However, he later stepped back from ITV altogether after admitting to lying to Holly and his employers about a relationship with a much younger ITV colleague. And during her return to screens on June 5, mum-of-three Holly addressed the scandal head on in a statement read out live on air as she was supported by her new co-host Josie Gibson.

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Now, weeks on, Holly has been continuing to host This Morning alongside the show's array of other hosts. Fresh from a two-week stint at the helm with Dermot O'Leary, viewers have this week seen Holly joined by Craig Doyle.

However, Holly and her fellow This Morning stars have been dealt a bit of a blow. The 2023 TRIC Awards took place on Tuesday (June 27) and the glitzy ceremony saw a host of Britain's best-known TV stars out in force as they celebrated the achievements of online and on-screen productions.

But the string of This Morning presenters avoided the ceremony and the popular programme also missed out on the Daytime TV gong to Channel 5's A Place In The Sun. However, a source told MailOnline that Holly had 'prior commitments'