The public have a more positive opinion of Holly Willoughby than Phillip Schofield
For some time now the media has been reporting of a rift between This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, with the latter going so far as to release a statement to The Sun denying the existence of a feud.
One speculated source for the tension is Schofield keeping Willoughby in the dark about his brother facing child sex charges.
While ITV have said that the two celebrities will be remaining with This Morning, with the pair’s contracts up for renewal this may not continue to be the case. Should the relationship break down further, it is clear who the bigger draw for the broadcaster will be.
According to YouGov Ratings data, Holly is the more popular of the pair, at 54% to Phil’s 37%. Both are equally famous, being known to 97% of the population.
Willoughby’s score put her close to the top of our rankings of contemporary TV personalities – 32nd of 462 – while Schofield languishes at 173rd.
Schofield is more actively disliked than his sofa partner, with 33% of Britons saying they dislike him, compared to 21% for Willoughby.
This is not necessarily a new development – a 2017 YouGov survey on famous double acts found that 39% of those familiar with the pair preferred Holly, compared to 30% for Phil.
The glamorous Willoughby is, for some reason, more popular among men, at 54% to 49% among women. Schofield is, by contrast, more positively seen by women, at 40% to 34%.
Our tracker data shows that both presenters took a hit in popularity in the final quarter of 2022, when Holly’s popularity fell nine points to 44% and Phil’s 11 points to 34% - the main difference being that the Willoughby’s figures have since bounced back, but not Schofield’s. This drop in popularity could be down to criticism the pair faced at the end of September for appearing to jump the queue at the Queen’s lying in state.
See Holly Willoughby's Ratings profile
See Phillip Schofield's Ratings profile
Photo: Getty
