Amanda and Phil's TV BATTLE

Phillip Schofield may be the biggest star at ITV, but it seems Amanda Holden is always in the frame…

- CHLOE THOMAS

Wherever he looks, it seems, she is there – prowling her way up the showbiz ladder at ITV. For Phillip Schofield, who is accustomed to being king, the glittering omnipresence of Amanda Holden is believed to be more than just a little unnerving.

While Phil, 59, was recently struck down with COVID-19 and looking unlikely to present Dancing on Ice, producers were said to be looking to Amanda Holden, 51, as a replacement to present alongside Holly Willoughby. And trialling Amanda as Holly’s co-host in a bid to mirror the Tess-and-Claudia success story on Strictly Come Dancing wouldn’t be such a bad idea, would it?

An insider was reported to have said at the time, ‘While Dancing on Ice’s bosses are gutted to see Phillip forced to temporarily step down from hosting duties, that also presents an opportunity to have two women front the show.’

In the end, presenter Stephen Mulhern, 44, one of Phil’s good chums and neighbours in leafy west London, was drafted in to replace him. But with Amanda potentially waiting in the wings, how does Phil feel about his nemesis stepping into his shoes?

Their public fallout back in 2019, when he reportedly blocked her from filling in for Holly Willoughby – when Holly was drafted in to replace Ant McPartlin on I’m a Celebrity in 2018 – is well documented and the two haven’t worked together since.