dentity of Phillip Schofield’s ‘Three S***s’ Revealed as Friends Expose Cruel Nickname for Holly Willoughby

Phillip Schofield, once a titan of British daytime television, has reignited a firestorm of controversy with his dramatic TV comeback on Channel 5’s Cast Away in September 2024. The three-part series, which saw him marooned on a desert island off Madagascar, offered Schofield a platform to reflect on his spectacular fall from grace after leaving ITV’s This Morning in May 2023. Amid his introspections, he cryptically slammed “three s***s” in showbiz, leaving viewers speculating. Now, as of March 24, 2025, friends of the disgraced presenter have unmasked these figures as his former co-host Holly Willoughby and ex-ITV bosses Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley—while revealing the brutal nickname Schofield coined for Willoughby: “the witch.”

The ‘Three S***s’ Unmasked

Schofield’s Cast Away remarks were vague but pointed. Sitting by a campfire, he declared, “I think there are only three s***s [in showbiz]. One’s a coward who never stepped up in Queuegate, another’s a coward who didn’t step up when I was being battered, and the third’s just brand-orientated.” Friends, speaking to outlets like The Sun and The Daily Mail in October 2024, have since clarified the targets. Holly Willoughby, his This Morning partner of 14 years, is pegged as the first two—blamed for not defending him during the 2022 “Queuegate” scandal and his 2023 affair fallout. Martin Frizell, This Morning’s editor, and Emma Gormley, ITV’s managing director of daytime, round out the trio, accused of orchestrating what Schofield calls an “organized coup” to oust him.

The bitterness stems from Schofield’s belief that these three abandoned him when his career imploded. After admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague—whom he’d met at 15 and later hired at ITV—he resigned from This Morning amid a media storm. His brother Timothy’s 2023 conviction for child sex offenses further tarnished his image, though Schofield insists this was the real trigger for his sacking, not the affair. Friends claim he begged Frizell not to send him and Willoughby to report on Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state, fearing backlash—a prediction that proved correct with “Queuegate.” Gormley, they say, treated him “unfairly” in his exit, prioritizing ITV’s brand over loyalty.

‘The Witch’—A Cruel Moniker

Perhaps the most shocking revelation is Schofield’s private venom toward Willoughby. Once calling her his “TV sister” and “rock,” he now reportedly dubs her “the witch,” complete with a hatted hag emoji in texts to pals. “He dislikes Holly so much now he calls her ‘the witch’ when talking about her,” a friend told The Sun on October 7, 2024. This shift traces back to a WhatsApp message Schofield allegedly sent her the day before his This Morning axing went public: “You brought me down.” He’d pleaded for a public gesture—like a statement or photo together—to quash feud rumors, but Willoughby refused, citing ITV’s directive and a desire not to “feed the narrative.”

Schofield’s camp claims she knew about his brother’s arrest in 2021 and supported him privately in a backstage “Sanctuary” meeting at This Morning, yet distanced herself publicly for her brand’s sake. “Phil feels so betrayed by Holly still,” a friend told The Irish Sun. Willoughby, meanwhile, has stayed silent, with sources saying she “couldn’t care less” about the jibe, focusing instead on her 2025 projects like Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt.

A Feud’s Lasting Echoes

The Schofield-Willoughby saga, once a tale of friendship, is now a bitter footnote in TV history. “Queuegate” saw them vilified for bypassing the public line to film at Westminster Hall, a misstep Schofield begged to avoid. His affair admission—after lying to Willoughby, ITV, and his wife Stephanie—shattered their bond, with her June 2023 This Morning return speech (“I feel shaken, let down”) sealing the rift. Schofield’s Cast Away BBQ scene, mocking her “Are you okay?” line with his family, underscored the animosity.

The Royal Family’s reaction to “Queuegate” was muted, with no official comment, though their public queue visits contrasted sharply with the duo’s access. Today, Schofield’s “three s***s” label and “witch” barb at Willoughby reveal a man scorned, while she forges ahead, leaving their once-iconic partnership a casualty of trust and ambition.