Phil is 'withdrawn and down' as ITV support falters over Holly row...and trolling escalates

AFTER covering This Morning on the showbiz beat for almost 20 years, I thought I'd seen it all when it came to drama on our best-loved daytime show.

- TOM BRYANT

Who can forget Fern Britton's fallout with Phillip Schofield, which happened 12 months after it was revealed shed had a gastric band while she was the face of Ryvita? 

Or when Phil presented a list of alleged paedophiles to then-PM David Cameron, which unbeknown to him was visible to the viewers?

And, of course, there was Phil's tearful coming out on air, which was rightly seen as a watershed moment in TV history.

But like buses, you wait for the next slice of drama and suddenly three come at once.

In the last few months we've had Queuegate, Phil's brother being convicted of sex crimes, and this week reports of a "feud" between Phil and Holly Willoughby.

Throughout all the ups and downs, one thing has always been constant ITV's unequivocal support of Phil, 61.

That is, however, until the events of the last few days.

When Phil released a statement about rumours of a rift with co-host Holly, many at ITV wished he had followed Kate Moss's mantra - never complain, never explain. In their eyes what was a silly, inconsequential story had been made super-charged by Phil himself.

ITV bosses were distinctly unimpressed, not least because they were not informed about this on-the-hoof PR strategy.

Worse still, there were concerns that by giving legs to the story, it had the potential to damage the show's brand.