THIS Morning star Holly Willoughby is hiding out 1,070 miles away in Portugal as the Phillip Schofield scandal deepens, The Sun can reveal.
ITV's golden girl, 42, has been relaxing at her £8million Algarve bolthole with family - but broke cover as they went out for dinner.
Our exclusive pictures show Holly, in a cream knitted jumper, covering up in a sun hat and shades while dining at Os Agostinhos in Quarteira, near to her villa on the swanky Quinta do Lago golf resort.
She is believed to have spent the week basking in the 23C sunshine - as her old co-host and best friend Schofield's career collapsed in disgrace over an extra-marital affair with a young runner.
Phillip recently left the daytime show after 21 years following a rift with co-star Holly.
His departure was also fuelled by his brother Tim being outed as a peado.
He then made a bombshell revelation about the "consensual on-off relationship" - leaving him no choice but to quit ITV altogether.
Holly has been silent since revealing she had confronted Phillip about the affair with a show runner, but he denied it.
The mum-of-three admitted in a statement it had been "very hurtful" to discover her former best pal had lied.
She now faces being grilled by an independent barrister who's collecting statement for ITV in light of the recent This Morning scandal.
Holly insists she has nothing to hide - and plans to return to This Morning on Monday, despite pressures to step down.
Former co-star Eamonn Holmes said she should follow Phillip “out the door”, and accused her of distancing herself from the sinking ship.
Alison Hammond is expected to join Holly on Monday then co-hosts will be rotated to work with her.
Holly - once pictured alongside Phillip and his former lover - is away with relatives including parents Linda and Brian and sister Kelly.
She could be seen from outdoors dining under a canopy-style roof at the restaurant with her parents, Kelly, and three children, at around 8pm.
An onlooker said: "Holly is clearly trying to stay under the radar - they were dining when the sun was going down, and she was still wearing her hat and sunglasses.
"The area is a holiday hotspot for Brits, so she is probably worried about being asked about the This Morning scandal.
"At one point, Holly spoke at length to a waiter who it seemed like she knew personally.
"She seemed to be having a great time - unlike her old pal Phillip."
Holly's husband Dan Baldwin, 48, was not with them at the meal, nor her eldest child.
ITV chiefs are to face a grilling by MPs on the Commons culture committee on Tuesday.
It follows claims the broadcaster potentially failed to investigate the affair properly.
A source said of This Morning's stars being quizzed by a lawyer: “Holly, Alison and Ruth — who is still close with the young man — will all be quizzed, as well as others who worked on This Morning or Loose Women during the time of Phil’s affair.
“No matter how big the celebrity, they will be asked to speak and provide evidence."
She's been pictured enjoying a meal with her loved ones at a restaurant, flanked between her mum and dad.
Sat opposite was her mum Linda, who looked strained at the outside eatery.
Holly wore a hat and sunglasses to keep a low profile and avoid being spotted by fans abroad.
She had her youngest son Chester, eight, on her lap, as she ordered a drink from the waiter and tucked into some dessert.
ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall broke her silence yesterday, revealing a lawyer had been instructed to review the facts after Phil, 61, admitted lying to cover up an affair with a much younger male colleague.
Friday This Morning hosts Alison and Dermot O’Leary are to be quizzed along with Holly and the rest of the show’s presenting roster.
Outspoken Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford and Dr Ranj Singh will also be called to give statements.
The move came after the broadcaster was forced to deny it had made mistakes in an internal review in 2020 into the ex-host’s relationship.
In a letter released last night, Dame Carolyn said ITV had been supporting the young man.
She wrote: “The ITV employee was aged 19 when he first did work experience at This Morning in 2015 and 20 years old when he applied and succeeded in securing a job as a runner on the show.
“He subsequently applied for and was successful in securing a promotion to Loose Women in 2019. He left ITV in 2021."
She went on to say ITV felt "badly let down" by Phillip, who admitted to lying about his affair.
The Sun told how he left ITV on Friday and was axed by talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair.
Jane Mulcahy KC will begin her probe in the coming days.
Once the report has been put together, ITV will review the results and take action accordingly.