Holly Willougby and Phillip Schofield are unsure whether to hug their guests on 'This Morning.'
Holly and Phil are unsure whether to hug guests on This Morning after the pandemic
The TV duo - who have fronted the ITV daytime show together since 2009 - were unable to hug each other or guests during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic due to social distancing roles and Holly, 41, admitted that while it now feels like the "good old days" at work, she always "follows the lead" of guests when they come into the studio for a chat.
She said: "It feels like we’re up to full capacity again now with guests coming back in. It feels like the good old days. Although you still have that moment when someone walks towards you when they come on the sofa… I follow their lead really if they go in for a handshake or a hug."
Meanwhile, her 60-year-old co-host added that it is "interesting" that people have had to "re-learn" how to hug as a result of the "scarring" nature of COVID-19 and explained that guests often say they have forgotten how to socialise as a result of the lockdowns.
In the joint interview, Phillip told The Mirror: "It’s interesting that we are having to re-learn how to do that – not amongst our friendship groups but with guests who come in and we say ‘are we hugging?’ It scarred us all in some way and I don’t think we’ll ever forget that it happened because it was damaging on so many different levels.
"Some say, ‘I’ve almost forgotten how to be sociable’ so it might take a few of us a while to get back to normal."
The pair are set to return to 'This Morning' on September 5 following a summer break, which has seen the likes of 'Big Brother' stars Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson as well as former 'X Factor' contestant Rylan Clark and 'Loose Women' anchor Ruth Langsford take over presenting duties in their absence.
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