Shaken, troubled, let down worried

HOLLY Willoughby fought back tears on her first This Morning appearance since co-host Phillip Schofield quit the programme.

- MARK JEFFERIES

Returning after two weeks away, the star said she was "shaken, troubled, let down and worried" after her TV partner admitted an affair with a younger male employee who was a runner on the ITV daytime show.

Holding hands with her temporary co-host Josie Gibson and with her voice shaking, Holly, 42, delivered a heartfelt message to viewers.

She said: "Right deep breath. Firstly, are you okay? I hope so. Feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil. And I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have, shaken, troubled, let down.

"Worried for the well being of people on all sides of what's been going on and full of questions." During an interview last week, Schofield, 61, told the BBC that Holly did not know about the "unwise, but not illegal" affair, and has apologised for lying to her.

The pair presented together for 13 years.

On screen yesterday, she added: "You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and stepped down from a career that they love.

"That is a lot to process.