Fern Britton and Eamonn Holmes ‘catch up’ amid Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby

Fern Britton set her fans tongues wagging on Monday evening as she revealed she had been catching up with her This Morning alum Eamonn Holmes.

The TV presenter, who co-hosted the show with Phillip Schofield between 1999 and 2009, revealed she had received an ‘unexpected call’ from Eamonn, 63.

Fern said that she and GB news presenter had been ‘shooting the breeze’ during the catch up, as fans quickly speculated about their topic of conversation.

Detailing their catch up on a Twitter post, Fern wrote: ‘Unexpected calls form old mates are so lovely. Just had the loveliest catch up with Eamonn Holmes.

‘I think we have known each other since the 80’s when we were babies [laughing face]. Shooting the breeze [heart emojis].’

Fern’s followers were convinced they had worked out what Fern and Eamonn were talking about, due to both previously appearing as hosts on This Morning.

Fern’s tweet comes hours after Eamonn launched a blistering attack on his former This Morning co-stars on Monday morning.

Phillip and his current co-host Holly Willoughby’s ‘feud’ has been hitting the headlines in recent days as sources claim their off-screen friendship is over.

One of Phil’s most well-publicised squabbles was with his former This Morning co-host Fern.

Menwhile, Phil also endured frosty relations with husband and wife presenting duo Eamonn and Ruth Langsford over the years.

Following their well-publicised rows with Phil, fans guessed that Eamonn had called Fern to discuss the fall out between Phillip and Holly.

One person quipped: ‘Pleased Eamonn rang this evening & not “This Morning”.’

A second person said: ‘Apparently there’s a certain sofa available from July.’

A third penned: ‘Can’t imagine what you’re talking about…’

Another said: ‘So much to catch up on, without of course, trying to be controversial here.’

One other wrote: ‘Would loved to have eavesdropped on that call. A lot of laughter I bet.’

A different person surmised: ‘Best subtweet ever!’

Phil and Fern presented the show together from 2002 to 2009 but have lost touch in the years since.

When Fern announced she was quitting This Morning, she addressed the entire team in general and didn’t mention Phil specifically.

In 2013, Phil confirmed in an interview with Heat that the pair were ‘not really’ in touch anymore.

Fern confirmed the same while speaking to MailOnline: ‘Like Morecambe and Wise, we chose not to live in each other’s pockets. We were a great professional partnership but we never went on holiday together.’

Fern – who has since become an author – was also absent from This Morning’s 25th anniversary celebrations that year but insisted it was nothing to do with Phil and she was simply busy.

In his book Life Is What You Make It, Phil revealed he had an awkward row with Fern in 2009 when she accused him of ‘meddling’ with the content of the show.

He wrote: ‘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 any more.’

Their feud was back in the spotlight in 2018 when Fern appeared on This Morning via video link for the show’s 30th anniversary and claimed she wasn’t invited to the show’s BAFTA ceremony.

Speaking to Phil, she said: ‘Congrats on the BAFTA. That was absolutely wonderful and brilliant. I would have loved to have been there but I didn’t get an invitation.’

Phil was quick to dispute this, saying Fern was on stage in Scotland at the time but she replied: ‘I wasn’t on Monday night, I would have come but I wasn’t invited.’

Phil later suggested on Twitter that Fern was suffering from ‘memory loss’ and the team would have loved to have had her there.

Phillip also revealed Fern never got in touch with him after he came out as gay on This Morning in 2020, but she did message his wife Steph.

He said: ‘When I came out, she didn’t text me. She did text Steph though, which was really kind.’

Meanwhile, Phil’s conflict with Eamonn and Ruth all kicked off in 2019 when it was reported that Ruth had filed a complaint against Phil to ITV bosses.

Fans speculated the complaint may have been down to an awkward moment between the pair caught on camera that year.

Ruth appeared at the end of an episode of This Morning to preview what was coming up on Loose Women and was cut off by Phil while she was speaking.

Phil said: ‘Guys, we’re going to have to jump in there and stop you I’m afraid because we’re a bit tight for time at this end. Thank you, Ruth.’

Ruth, who clearly looked unimpressed with the interruption, responded: ‘Well I only had about two more words to say,’ and looked away from the camera.

Fern’s tweet comes hours after Eamonn launched a blistering attack on his former This Morning co-stars on Monday morning.

Amid crisis talks at ITV over the future of its two top stars, Eammon called the partnership ‘a broken fit’ as he discussed the fallout on his GB News show.

Referring to Sunday night’s BAFTA TV Awards, at which neither Phil nor Holly made an appearance, Eammon quipped: ‘I think there should have been a special award for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby for best actors.’

‘They may or may not be together on the telly today. He’s brought in lawyers, she’s brought in a PR team. The public surely will suss that there’s no chemistry, that it’s a broken fit between the two of them and that This Morning does not depend on who presents it.’

Continuing, the ex This Morning star insisted: ‘It’s an institution, it will carry on no matter who presents it and anyone can check the viewing figures, there’s no difference between whether they present it or anyone else.’

Eamonn co-hosted the ITV daytime show with his wife Ruth Langsford from 2006 until August 2021, until being ‘dropped’ by ITV and replaced by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.

At 10am millions will be watched This Morning as Phil appeared on screen with Holly following crisis talks between ITV and the embattled pair over whether one of them, both or neither would be on air today.

Phil is trying to ‘tough out’ the ongoing row after it emerged he had called in his own lawyers over the fallout with his co-presenter, sources have revealed. He has also employed a new PR man to help improve his press coverage.

It comes as ITV confirmed that the pair would host the show, after more than 48 hours of crisis talks. Those close to the pair said the programme will continue to run smoothly, despite the feuding behind the scenes.

One source told The Sun: ‘Holly and Phil are professionals and they can turn it on like no one else.

‘Although behind the scenes their relationship is nothing like it was, they are both dedicated to This Morning and keeping it together for viewers.’

Bosses from the broadcaster were allegedly furious after Phil broke his silence with a shock statement about the fall out with his co-host of 14 years admitting ‘the last few weeks haven’t been easy for us’.

Despite this, Phil believes he can weather the ongoing storm but even those close to him have said it is down to whether the audience believes the pair still have on-screen chemistry.

Sources at the broadcaster described the situation as a ‘quandary’ for its bosses because both of the former friends were determined to get their own way.

Phil has consulted lawyers over the situation, which has been spiralling out of control for months.

The Daily Mail revealed this weekend that he has also hired Gordon Smart, a former Sun showbiz columnist and occasional Good Morning Britain host, to manage the crisis and ensure favourable press coverage.

It is a clear sign, say sources, that he is ‘taking this very seriously’ and is ‘keen to come out of the situation quickly’.

The feud began in September when the pair were criticised after failing to queue for the Queen’s Lying in State.

Things have become so bad that it is said they no longer speak when the cameras stop rolling. Holly has now cut all ties with Phil other than her This Morning commitments.