Phillip Schofield breaks silence on claims he can ‘rebuild career through TalkTV’
Phillip Schofield has broken his silence over claims he could make a comeback on TalkTV following his departure from This Morning.
The 61-year-old presenter left the show after admitting to having an affair with a younger man whom he labeled “unwise but not illegal.”
However, Andy Barr, CEO of 10 Yetis Digital, claimed that Phillip could return to the profession in the future, and on Saturday the TV pundit told the Daily star: “TalkTV could be the career recovery platform Schofield needs right now.
“If current media spots don’t reveal any new allegations, then this is fully recoverable for him and TalkTV could be the perfect place for him to start over in a high-profile media environment.”
TalkTV is home to hosts like Piers Morgan and Jeremy Kyle, with the former publicly sympathizing with Phillip on social media following his departure from the show.
Speaking out: Phillip Schofield has broken his silence over claims he could ‘rebuild his career as a presenter through TalkTV’ following Saturday’s This Morning scandal
Exit: The presenter, 61, left This Morning after admitting to having an affair with a younger man whom he labeled ‘unwise by not illegal’ (Phillip pictured in May 2023 with Holly Willoughby)
However, a legal representative of Phillip has told that The mirror that the host had no intention of joining TalkTV and said, “Absolutely not as far as I know.”
In a recent interview with the BBC, Phillip said he believed his career was ‘over’ and that he had ‘lost everything’ after admitting lying about his relationship with a younger man on This Morning.
“I have to talk about television in the past tense, it breaks my heart,” he told the publication. ‘What am I going to do with my days? I see nothing but darkness, sadness, regret, remorse and guilt. I did something very wrong, and then I lied about it consistently.”
He said the criticism he’s received since admitting to the affair has had a “catastrophic effect,” adding, “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am. I’ve lost everything.’
In the interviews, Schofield, who was also sacked by his talent agency YMU after confessing to the Mail about the “ill-advised but not illegal relationship,” said he was “utterly heartbroken and ashamed.”
Schofield told the BBC the young man, who briefly worked as a runner on This Morning, was 20 when he first had any sexual contact with him.
He told The Sun they had become friends, but in 2017 – three years before he came out as gay and divorced wife Stephanie Lowe after 27 years – “something happened that just changed it.”
There was “a consensual moment” in Schofield’s dressing room after a show and “it was mutual.”
Response: A TV pundit claimed that Phillip could make a career comeback on TalkTV, but a legal representative said: ‘Absolutely not as far as I know’
He said he was not in a “love relationship” with the man and that “it wasn’t a relationship, we weren’t boyfriends, we were friends.”
He said “it wasn’t feelings” he got, but it was “more like friends: excitement.” He added, “I was really struggling with my sexuality at the time leading up to what happened.” The pair only had “five or six romantic encounters” over a period of about six months.
He said they had only met once at Schofield’s south-east London apartment after calling the young man to invite him for a beer.
He also denied using ITV money to pay taxis for the man, saying: ‘I don’t have an ITV account.’
Schofield said he had “no excuse” for what happened, “no one did anything wrong but me” and “I was unprofessional once in a 41-year career.”
In a recent interview, Phillip said his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby – who was unaware of the affair – ignored his messages by apologizing and begging for forgiveness.
In an interview with The Sun, he apologized to Holly for lying to her about his relationship, saying, “I’ve lost my best friend.”
He added, “I let her down. I missed that whole show. I disappointed the viewers. Holly didn’t know and she was one of the first texts I sent, to say “I’m so, so sorry I lied to you”.
“She didn’t answer and I understand why she didn’t answer either. So yeah, if anyone links Holly to this in any way, it’s absolutely, not true at all.’
Letting her say: When she returned to the show this week, Holly Willoughby said of Phillip: ‘All of us from This Morning gave our love and support to someone who wasn’t telling the truth’
When she returned to the show, Holly gave a full statement about the events, saying, “Hi there. Good morning. Josie [Gibson], Thanks for your presence. Right, take a deep breath. First, are you okay? It feels very strange to be here without Phil.
And I imagine you may have felt as I did—shocked, distressed, disappointed, concerned for the well-being of people on all sides of what’s going on, and full of questions.
“You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who wasn’t telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they should resign from ITV and quit a career they love. That’s a lot to process.
And it’s just as hard to see the toll it takes on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and well-being of all.
“I hope that as we embark on this new chapter and return to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
And, from my heart, I can just thank you for all your kind messages. And thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie [Gibson]Dermat [O’Leary]Alison [Hammond]Craig [Doyle]and every person who works on this show will continue to work hard every day to bring you this show that we love.”
Holly and Phil have co-hosted the show since 2009 and also co-hosted Dancing On Ice.
Holly’s return to the show after a two-week break comes as the ITV show has been plagued by allegations of ‘toxicity’, including from former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who claimed there was a ‘total cover-up’ over the Schofield scandal. affair .