Amanda Holden 'couldn't resist' mocking Holly Willoughby as 'rivalry brought to the fore' by Schofield saga

It comes after their bitter rivalry was made public when Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden posted a video mocking Holly Willoughby’s opening statement on her return to This Morning.

“It’s well known in TV circles that Holly and Amanda have never been close” an industry source said.

“From the ­outside, you would expect them to have a relationship, but it’s fairly non-existent.

“They’ve been pitted against each other for certain big jobs, so there’s a competitive element which doesn’t lend itself to a friendship.

“Both are highly ambitious but there are many traits in their personalities and their behaviour within the industry that secretly gripe one another.

Talking to The Sun, they added: “The Schofield drama has just brought their rivalry to the fore and Amanda, in particular, couldn’t resist making it public.

“Given the many similarities they share, you would expect them to have little beef. Alas, this is not the case.”

Sources say that Holden feels ­her actions are justified after she previously drew attention to issues relating to This Morning.

While Willoughby has always refused to criticise her ITV colleague, Amanda has been a lone voice in raising concerns about the “toxic” morning show for some time.

Insiders claim Holden has always questioned Willoughby’s “golden girl” ­tag at ITV, believing the star should be on a more equal ­footing with her fellow presenters.

“This isn’t a standard anti-feminist stance, pitching a woman against a woman, there is a lot of mutual respect” a source said.

“Amanda doesn’t have any issues with Holly’s quality as a presenter, but the whiter-than-white image she portrays is perhaps a tad grating.

“With every big job that comes up at ITV, Holly always seems at the top of people’s thoughts when there is a lot of great talent to choose from.”

They added: “Amanda, quite reasonably, feels up-and-coming stars are sometimes discounted as Holly is the ­obvious pick for so many executives”

Sources close to Willoughby claim she believes Holdn has too much sway in the industry, and their relationship has said to have been further complicated by the role of Holden's husband Chris at YMU, where he is group executive director.

The pair have never worked with each other but Holden’s stint filling in for Holly on This Morning in 2018, while she filmed I’m A Celeb in Australia, sparked her feud with Schofield.

She discovered the ­host had hoped Rochelle Humes would be Willoughby’s stand-in, and Holden confronted him about it.

Insiders close to her said this led to her questioning how Willoughby could work so closely with him for so many years.

However, whether or not the pair can one day bury the hatchet remains to be seen with early indications suggesting that may be rather a long way off.