Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Amanda Holden condemns ‘utter rubbish’ claims of ‘rift’ with Holly Willoughby

‘There have been some huge assumptions made this week,’ she said

Jacob Stolworthy
Friday 09 June 2023 07:36 BST
Comments
Amanda Holden mocks Holly Willoughby's This Morning message

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Amanda Holden has condemned “utter rubbish” claims of a “rift” with Holly Willoughby.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge shared a statement after seemingly poking fun at Willoughby’s speech about Phillip Schofield, made upon her return to This Morning on Monday (5 June).

In the monologue at the start of the show, Willoughby asked viewers: “Firstly, are you OK? I hope so.”

After the speech was branded “patronising” by viewers, Holden shared a video, in which she began: “Hello, it is Tuesday. Are you OK?”

Following this, The Sun reported that the pair were embroiled in a feud, but Holden has denied such claims, calling them “made up” and “utter rubbish”.

“The story in The Sun today about Holly and I is completely made up, full of contradictions and just utter rubbish,” she wrote on Instagram, adding: “Sadly this means every other paper will now write it too. So I have to put this up for a few hours to try and add perspective and truth.

“Sadly strong and intelligent women have for far too long been pitted against one another when we should all be celebrated in our own right. What a surprise the article is written by a MAN.”

Holden continued by saying that a “rift” with Willoughby “simply does not exist”.

“There have been some huge assumptions made this week and everyone has feasted on them. These type of articles need to stop. The language around women (in most pieces I read every day) is laughable. It’s so different to how men are written about. Women are still expected to say nothing, suffer silently and just get on with it. And we do… mostly.

“These stories are there just to distract us from the actual news.. We are becoming a world which is gradually being eroded of all its best qualities – humour, backbone and truth.”

Amanda Holden denies having ‘rift’ with Holly Willoughby
Amanda Holden denies having ‘rift’ with Holly Willoughby (Instagram)

Holden was previously rumoured to have been “feuding” with Schofield for some years, dating back to the time they presented This Morning together in 2014.

In 2019, Schofield responded to claims that he had blocked Holden from securing several high-profile presenting roles. A report alleged that Schofield branded the Britain’s Got Talent judge “difficult to manage”, and that he “actively campaigned” for Rochelle Humes to get the gig as his stand-in co-host despite Holden being told the job was hers.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in