Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond are dream team on This Morning

Phil Who? ITV chiefs’ delight as Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond prove to be a dream team on This Morning

Holly Willoughby’s partnership with Alison Hammond on This Morning was so popular with ITV bosses that they are looking to pair the two women up more often.

Ms Hammond, who presents the daytime show’s Friday slot, stood in for Phillip Schofield when he took leave for the duration of his brother Timothy’s court case at the end of last month.

ITV sources say that she and Ms Willoughby were regarded as a ‘total joy’ at the channel, which also took note of social media feedback that confirmed the duo were popular with fans too.

Now some at ITV are mischievously wondering where that leaves Schofield, who has fallen out of favour with some viewers in recent years.

One source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It was a super-clever idea to slot Alison in with Holly, and it worked so well.

ITV sources say that Alison Hammond (right) and Ms Willoughby (left) were regarded as a ‘total joy’ at the channel

Ms Willoughby (left) has become a close friend of 48-year-old Ms Hammond and supported her through her recent blackmail ordeal, which saw a former friend demand £5,000 and a BMW from her

‘It was a new dynamic for Holly who has starred with Phil almost every time she has appeared on This Morning for nearly 14 years.

‘The bosses are absolutely delighted with their decision to put them together and want to find ways to do it more often.

‘They see Alison as the future but who thought it would be alongside Holly? It works on Strictly [having two female hosts] so why not on This Morning? While nobody is supposed to discuss Phil and his future at This Morning, obviously since Holly and Alison hosted together, it has become a topic of discussion.’

Schofield, 61, took pre-planned leave from ITV at the end of last month, which left bosses looking for a replacement to star with Ms Willoughby, 42. 

Ms Hammond, who appears on the Friday show with Dermot O’Leary, joined her for two days before The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett took over for the next two days.

Schofield (right) will return to This Morning on Sunday following three weeks’ annual leave, which coincided with his brother’s trial for child sex offences 

While Ms Willoughby has been loyal to Schofield since she joined the show in 2009, she didn’t hide her happiness at being paired with Ms Hammond.

She posted four times on her Instagram account about her excitement at her new co-star, with one post saying, ‘Love you @alisonhammond55… same time tomorrow?’ alongside a photo of the two women with their hands in the air.

Ms Willoughby has become a close friend of 48-year-old Ms Hammond and supported her through her recent blackmail ordeal, which saw a former friend demand £5,000 and a BMW from her. 

Meanwhile, Schofield will return to This Morning tomorrow after three weeks’ annual leave.

The latter two weeks were part of his usual Easter break, which he and Ms Willoughby take off together.

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