From 2002 to 2009 Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield were the faces of This Morning. The presenting pair hosted the show from Monday to Thursdays, and were one of Britain’s favourite TV duos. However, over the years, rumours of rifts between the two began to arise, which led to Fern famously quitting in 2009 after a decade on the show.
While producers maintain that their presenters have always got along, the speculated disagreements between Phil and Fern – who is reportedly heading into the Celebrity Big Brother house – have long been of intrigue to viewers. So, let’s take a look inside their feud, and find out what actually happened…
Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield presented This Morning together between 2002 and 2009
(Image: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)
Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield’s feud explained
Fern left This Morning because she had allegedly “had enough of living in Phil’s shadow.” This was down to claims that she was receiving a lower salary than her male counterpart.
When Fern quit, it was revealed she was only halfway through her £1.5million contract with the show – which was reportedly £200,000 less than Phil’s.
Despite this alleged pay difference, Fern denied the salary speculation and instead said that an on-set incident was what caused her to resign.
Fern quit the show in 2009 after an alleged feud between the presenters
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The 66 year old explained on the Ray D’Arcy Show in 2020: “There was also a persistent rumour that I left because Phillip was being paid more than me and I always say to people, ‘Why would I leave a show to go to nothing if I was worried about money?'”
She added: “Something happened and I thought, ‘That’s it really’ and I walked away and resigned. I was treated pretty poorly, actually. And after a while I just thought, ‘Sod it’.”
However, Phil has since suggested that their feud was because Fern had accused him of “meddling” with the show. The 61 year old said in his 2020 autobiography, Life’s What You Make It: “I walked back into the make-up room and calmly said, ‘Please don’t do that to me again.’ I think, for whatever reason, that was the point Fern decided she didn’t want to do This Morning anymore.”
Viewers initially thought the feud was due to an alleged pay difference between Fern and Phil
(Image: ITV)
Phillip – who also stepped down from This Morning in 2023 after he admitted to having an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague – then revealed he was “heartbroken” by her decision to leave, and “heartbroken” that their friendship had gone sour. “I’d never had a presenting partnership like that before,” he concluded.
In terms of Phillip’s affair, which led to him cutting ties with ITV and his management last year, Fern refused to comment on the scandal surrounding her former presenting partner.
Fern later suggested an incident on set was the catalyst for her resignation
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
But, in May 2023, the mum of four seemingly alluded to the situation when she took to Twitter to share that she’d been in contact with former This Morning presenter, Eamonn Holmes, who has been vocal about his stance on the issue.
Fern typed: “Unexpected calls from old mates are so lovely. Just had the loveliest catch-up with @EamonnHolmes.”
Then, in a July 2023 interview with Good Housekeeping, Fern reflected on her time at This Morning. While not directly addressing the feud rumours, she said: “I don’t think I’d be able to turn the clock back; it wouldn’t work that way.
“‘My time at This Morning was marvellous and I adored the 10 years I was there, but I feel you should never look back.”
Fern is reportedly set to appear in Celebrity Big Brother, where insiders say she might spill the tea on her and Phil’s rocky relationship
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Ahead of Fern’s speculated stint in the Big Brother house, insiders have claimed she’s likely to spill the beans on her relationship with Phillip, plus, give some insight into the years long row. A source said: “She wants to show the public a different side to her – unscripted and unapologetic.
“She has a lot of stories to tell and she won’t hold back when it comes to her relationships with people like Phil. They don’t speak anymore so there are no bridges to burn as far as she is concerned.”
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