PHIL TO RETIRE!

Is TV's silver fox ready to skulk off our screens?

- CHLOE THOMAS

Phillip Schofield is no ordinary 60-year-old, with his whippy hips and full head of hair, albeit silver. But as the dust settles on recent celebrations of both his milestone birthday and his almost 40-year career in television, perhaps Phil is considering taking a back seat after a spectacular innings in the showbiz world.

After all, he has been co-hosting ITV’s This Morning for 20 years and, with his well-documented passion for food and wine – the veteran presenter has his own brand of wine with a self-titled label – Phil would be forgiven for wondering whether it’s time to have some fun and get away from the politics of daytime TV.

A source told Woman’s Own, ‘Phil would be in big demand if he left This Morning and he would probably end up presenting a series of high-end travel shows with a culinary angle. He’s an expert on wine.’

Over at ITV, rumours of change have rumbled on for a while amid pressure to bring in new faces, which has seen stalwart Eamonn Holmes leave the show, defecting to GB News last year.

Phil is riding high alongside Holly Willoughby, who signed a bumper twoyear deal to remain on the show until 2023. So would he leave before she does?

Holly herself has begun to branch out in her career, taking time out from This Morning to present BBC1’s Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof, as well as being busy managing her lifestyle brand Wylde Moon. And there’s a sense that the winds of change are blowing.