Phillip Schofield breaks out of cover for the first time in a month

Phillip Schofield has broken cover for the first time in a month since his devastating This Morning scandal.

The embarrassed star, who was suspended from ITV’s popular daytime program and then sensationally left the broadcaster altogether after admitting lying to the Mail about his affair with a colleague on Sunday, was seen celebrating his birthday in Cornwall. to celebrate beloved mother.

Dressed in a casual blue T-shirt and white linen shorts, with car keys, his mobile phone and a vape in hand, Schofield, 61, still looked forlorn, but appeared to be slightly tanned and cropped .

MailOnline understands that he was there to celebrate his mother Pat’s 87th birthday, as he does every year.

While he still looked serious and hardly happy, his pale appearance was a far cry from his pale appearance when news of his affair broke and his career crashed into the ground.

Phillip shared last month how he had been too scared to leave his house in case the public spit on him.

But in recent days, famous names including Sir Elton John have wondered if there was any controversy surrounding the secret affair that destroyed the presenter’s career was homophobic.

Former BBC and ITV star Phillip’s skin looked healthier from the hot weather the UK had been enjoying in recent weeks.

Phillip – who called the relationship “ill-advised, but not illegal” – cheated on his wife Stephanie with the young male colleague.

The deal was kept secret for years until he admitted to the Mail that he had lied about it being just rumours.

He went on to confess that he had misled his employer ITV, his colleagues, his friends and his then agents at the management firm YMU.

He then apologized in an extraordinary series of mea culpa interviews for all the hurt he had caused.

It created an extraordinary domino effect for the show and ITV, with Holly Willoughby having to make a statement saying she knew nothing about it.

But Phillip insisted he hadn’t “groomed” the man, despite first meeting him when he was 15.

And he went on to state, “Attraction is attraction. In the gay world it is no different than in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world.

“There shouldn’t be any difference. This is where homophobia comes into play.

‘We first met when he was 15, I attended drama school [he attended].

So yes, there is a difference. It’s accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s not accepted when it’s in the gay world.”

Titanic actor DiCaprio, 48, has reportedly had several relationships with women younger than him.

This Morning has not been able to shake off the controversy, despite Schofield’s resignation on May 20.

Just yesterday, Willoughby and Dermot O’Leary were left writhing on the show when the scandal was mentioned by a guest.

The duo were visibly uncomfortable when chef Gino D’Acampo asked if there was any “news” he should be aware of, during his return to the daytime show on Tuesday, after a month-long tour of Italy.

While previewing his cooking segment, Gino told Holly and Dermot, “Everything is under control. I’m back.

“Any news from the past month I should know? Is there anything I should know?’ to which Holly insisted, ‘No. No news,” as the studio went remarkably quiet.

It was last month that Phillip admitted to dating a much younger man who worked with him on the show, and later lied about it.

In a bombshell statement to the Daily Mail, the veteran TV presenter admitted that he and the man had begun a relationship that was more than just a friendship. The ex-TV presenter describes that as ‘unwise but not illegal’.

In his fawning apology, Phillip said, “I am making this statement through the Daily Mail, to whom I have already personally apologized for being misled, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story [sic] that they wanted to write about me a few days ago.

“The first thing I want to say is, I am deeply sorry that I lied to them and to many others about a relationship I had with someone who worked on This Morning. I did have a consensual on and off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.

Contrary to speculation, while I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him get on television, it wasn’t until after he started working on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It’s over now…

“I am painfully aware that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore to the public and especially my family. I am very sorry, just like that I have been unfaithful to my wife…

“I resign from ITV with immediate effect and express my immense gratitude to them for all the wonderful opportunities they have given me.

“I will reflect on my very poor judgment in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.”

The Mail is aware of the younger man’s identity but has chosen not to name him.

Phillip’s extraordinary statement ends weeks of increasingly feverish speculation in both the TV industry and the wider country about the future of his career following his sudden departure.