Dr Phil McGraw, Oprah's favourite psychologist, and his wife Robin are at loggerheads. And it's all because Dr Phil feels threatened by Robin's exploding career - his ego can't deal with the offers she receives.

The pair have been married for 31 years and Robin, who attends the taping of every one of her husband's shows, has been gradually getting used to sharing the limelight.

'Robin described herself as shy and was at first reticent to be brought into the frame,' a source reveals. 'But she's become more confident and now she loves being part of the show.

'Phil was very encouraging. He wanted everyone in his family to get a slice of the Dr Phil pie and it helped his image to have an intelligent, glamorous wife show up now and then to offer advice to women.'

But now that Robin, 53, has overcome her stage fright, Dr Phil, 57, is watching in horror as the woman who has previously dedicated herself to his home gets ambitions for her own presenting career.

'Now she wants to break out on her own, but he doesn't want anything to change,' one source says. 'He gets angry when he doesn't know where Robin is and when she's on business outings in LA. It drives him nuts if he can't reach her.

'He loves Robin but it's come to the point where what he wants for her and what she wants for herself are two different things.'

Dr Phil's outrage at all this is not a new phenomenon. 'His first wife complained he wanted her nowhere near the business side of things,' a source reveals.

'Her domain was the home and looking nice for him - which included lifting weights to bulk up her cleavage. 'Robin is also committed to looking good for her husband. She takes endless supplements and fish oils and has weekly vitamin B12 shots - anything to make her look younger.'

And although Robin used to answer offers of work with: 'I've got a full-time job dressing Phil every day,' as she develops new ambitions, she's starting to think there's more to life than just being the perfect wife.

Robin has already hosted a home design Christmas special for network HGTV, appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Rachel Ray Show and various other programs, and has penned her own bestseller, Inside my Heart: Choosing to Live with Passion and Purpose. She has also been given a great chance to anchor her own show.

In an effort to save his marriage, Dr Phil has offered his wife a role in their son's forthcoming series Doctors. But insiders say it might not be enough for the troubled pair.

'He thought it would save his marriage, but Robin wants more,' one source says. 'Phil has evolved since his disastrous first marriage, but lately it seems he has become that controlling guy again and it's pushing his marriage to the limit.'