Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield use a screen to hug on This Morning

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield use a plastic screen to have their first ‘Covid-friendly’ hug in six months as they return to This Morning following the summer holidays

They returned to This Morning on Tuesday for the first time since the summer holidays and Holly Willoughby‘s 14-day quarantine. 

And she and co-host Phillip Schofield enjoyed their first Covid-friendly hug using a plastic screen with in-built sleeves as they reunited. 

Their get-together comes after Holly had to cut her seven-week family holiday to Portugal short so she could quarantine to be ready to return to the show in time. 

Safe: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield used a plstic screen with sleeves to have their first hug in six months as they returned to This Morning on Tuesday following the summer holidays

Taking no chances: Their get-together comes after Holly had to cut her seven-week family holiday to Portugal short so she could quarantine to be ready to return to the show in time

Taking no chances: Their get-together comes after Holly had to cut her seven-week family holiday to Portugal short so she could quarantine to be ready to return to the show in time

The pair were wearing face-masks with their own faces on them at the start of the show and couldn’t get over how weird they looked.  

Holly said: ‘Don’t adjust your TV sets, there is nothing wrong, we are just wearing masks with our faces on

Phil laughed and said: ‘Holly: the best ones are if you have a photo taken of your teeth.’

Chatting about his own summer break, he said: ‘I did the cube for the first time in six years which was amazing, the best series we ever made.

‘We played it with two people so some people were in their own bubble. I think its out in October. I’m probably not supposed to have said that but I have.’

Talking about her sunshine break, Holly said: ‘I’ve just got out of quarantine so I feel a bit like “wow there’s people around!”

Using the screen, Holly and Phil noted it had been six months since they were last able to safely embrace.

They said they are going to keep the screen for the foreseeable future so they can hug when they wish.   

The TV duo returned to screens on September 1, taking back the reins back from Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford who stood in for them during their hiatus. 

The autumn shows will also include a new four-part ‘Best of British’ series where Nigel Havers will tour around Britain.

Viewers will also be treated to a three-episode series called ‘Dr Scott’s Super Dogs’ which will see the show’s resident vet meet dogs who are helping to save lives across the country.