Holly Willoughby apologised to co-star Phillip Schofield after breaking the “number one presenting rule” on air on This Morning.

Since making her ITV daytime debut on This Morning over a decade ago, the popular presenter has become a firm favourite with fans. But despite her loyalty to the long-running show, in recent months Holly has proved she isn’t afraid to branch out. From Holly taking a break to film her new BBC project, Freeze the Fear, to debuting an epic new look as she prepared for the release of her book, Reflections, it’s already been a very busy time indeed for the star.

Now she’s resumed her This Morning presenting duties after the Easter break. And it wasn’t long before Holly found herself apologising to co-presenter Phillip Schofield for making an uncharacteristic mistake…

Returning from an ad break on Monday 25th April, This Morning viewers were met with a surprisingly lengthy pause from Holly. Whilst the cameras continued to roll, the host waited, only to eventually declare, “And welcome back” before bursting into laughter.

Holly then reportedly confessed that she’d been distracted by the sight of her and Phillip in the monitor as she effectively became a This Morning viewer herself. 

“I was actually just watching us on the monitor,” she admitted. “I was like ‘Oh my god, you’re not just watching at home, you’re actually on.’”

Joking in response Phillip quipped, “You can’t watch the tele if you’re on it”, to which Holly replied apologetically, “I know, rule number one of the presenting handbook, sorry.”

“Wow,” Phillip said as Holly resolved to put this rather awkward moment behind her and wished their viewers a “Happy Monday”. 

And the moment didn’t go unnoticed as fans were quick to comment on This Morning’s Twitter video post which perfectly captured this hilarious exchange.

“Isn’t Holly just brilliant”, one wrote as others shared laughing face emojis in response.

Holly’s return comes just a few months after the star broke her silence on claims she’s quitting This Morning. Describing the rumours as “hurtful”, the host opened up on the Jonathan Ross Show about how “difficult” it can often be for her to handle the scrutiny surrounding her high-profile role.

“I do really love him (Phillip). I really love him. We’re lucky. We really are. I’ve read those things too. It hurts sometimes because it’s so unfair and untrue, so it’s difficult sometimes,” she explained. “We’re just incredibly lucky. So no, I’m not retiring.”

Despite her many recent projects, Holly has continued to entertain This Morning fans as the regular Monday-Thursday host of the show alongside Phillip.