Phillip Schofield. Photo / Getty Images
British TV presenter Phillip Schofield’s affair and sacking scandal has rocked the entertainment world in recent weeks and it seems every day reveals a new piece of the puzzle.
This past weekend, it was revealed he had an affair with a “much younger employee” at ITV, with later reports claiming the 61-year-old host met the then-boy during a school trip and helped get him a job at ITV working on his show, This Morning, as a production assistant.
Now, ITV’s investigation of the affair and claims they may have ignored up to eight formal complaints have resulted in questions of whether the show will continue or whether it will be pulled off air.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Earlier this month, rumours of a growing feud between Schofield and his friend and co-star of 13 years, Holly Willoughby, started circulating.
The Daily Mail reported on May 11 that the duo are “not as close as they once were” and barely speak off camera, with fans noticing the two rarely burst into fits of laughter like they had done on previous shows.
At the time, the UK news outlet reported the growing distance between the pair began three years ago when Willoughby broke away from the talent agent YMU – whom Schofield is both represented by and a shareholder in. Willoughby then created her own talent agency, Roxy Management, and ultimately ended up in court with YMU embroiled in a legal battle over her future earnings.
Willoughby settled out of court for £1 million (NZ$2m), with this reportedly marking the beginning of the duo’s divide.
A series of trying events subsequently occurred, with Daily Mail claiming the duo were on rocky ground after they faced backlash from the public after they allegedly “skipped the queue” at Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state.
Things reportedly took another turn after Schofield took three weeks off in March while his brother was on trial for child sex offences. Willoughby reportedly didn’t know about the trial and was “deeply upset” that she found out about it from a third party.
Following the trial, the pair appeared to be hostile on air with many picking up on the tension between them.
After two weeks of drama, ITV had to make a choice over who they would back in the scandal and Willoughby emerged the victor.
On May 21, the veteran morning show host announced his decision to step down from This Morning with immediate effect. He said that had “become the story” and he wanted to “protect the show that I love”. While Willoughby released a statement thanking her former co-host: “It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
Friends said Schofield was heartbroken by the decision, feeling betrayed by Willoughby, after effectively securing her the job and mentoring her for 14 years. They said he felt like he was “hung out to dry”.
Mere days after the announcement it was revealed Schofield had received a large payout from ITV amid claims he was “sacked”.
Speaking to The Sun, a source said the star received £300,000 ($593,000) for agreeing to the departure, however, he is still said to feel “let down” but the network. “Phil has been given his This Morning wages for six months - but if that was meant to make him feel better, it’s just not working,” they said.
It came after GB News breakfast show presenter Eamonn Holmes sensationally claimed live on air, Schofield was “sacked” from the show.
The payout and claims of sacking were only the tip of the iceberg in the Schofield scandal and after news of his decision to step down, it was revealed Willoughby would take a two-week break, with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary taking over presenting duties.
In the first episode since ITV, Schofield and Willougby’s statements, the interim hosts started their show briefly mentioning Schofield’s exit.
Hammond said: “Now we can’t start today’s show without paying tribute to the man who has spent the last two decades sitting on this sofa – Phillip Schofield.”
“Everyone on and off the screen at ITV and This Morning want to say a huge thank you to Phil for what he’s done to make this show a success over the last 21 years,” O’Leary continued, while Hammond added: “Quite simply we all know he’s one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had and we, and all the team, wish him all the best for the future.”
Fans quickly called out the sentiment as “insincere” on Twitter.
Days after the scandal made headlines, there would be another aftershock. This time with Schofield admitting he had an affair with a much younger man who worked with him on This Morning and resigned from ITV over his lies about the relationship.
On the Friday after his statement revealing he was stepping down from the show, the 61-year-old issued a statement admitting he had an affair and said the relationship was “unwise” but stressed it was “not illegal”. He also said he was “deeply sorry” for having lied to his wife and to ITV about his relationship with a young man.
The statement sparked theories over how old the young man was, with Mail on Sunday alleging yesterday that the two met after the veteran TV presenter gave a talk at a theatre school, placing the boy at 15 years old and Schofield in his 40s.
However, the affair reportedly did not begin until the boy was older and of legal age. It followed Schofield’s teary on-air confession in February 2020 - after 27 years of marriage to his wife - that he is gay.
As Schofield confirmed his affair, it was also revealed he was parting ways with YMU Group - his management agency of 35 years.
In a statement issued by Mary Bekhait, the Group CEO of YMU Group, said: “Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do. Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust.
“This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield. These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisers we had brought in to support him. As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect.”
ITV released a statement on Saturday (NZT) admitting it investigated allegations of Schofield’s affair with the younger employee as early as 2020.
The statement claimed it had questioned both Schofield and the younger man, but both had “repeatedly denied” the rumours. Holly Willoughby also revealed that Schofield had lied to her about the affair.
However, in an opinion piece published in the Daily Mail, UK-based New Zealand journalist Dan Wootton said he and other media stars knew about Schofield’s affair in 2019 when he worked at ITV as a daytime presenter.
During his time as executive editor of The Sun, where he spoke to eight ITV stars who raised concerns about Schofield’s “toxic behaviour, specifically the inappropriate relationship with the man”, Wootton made a call to ITV’s group corporate affairs and communications director Paul Moore, but claimed it was made clear the broadcaster had no intention of investigating the information being presented to them.
At the time, an ITV spokeswoman dismissed Wootton’s 2019 story, stating: “It’s deeply disappointing and unfair for Phillip to be the target of this sort of malicious gossip.
“Phillip is a much-respected broadcaster and colleague and this is absolutely not a description of This Morning that we recognise.”
Wootton added: “As we know now, this was not ‘malicious gossip’.”
As news broke of Schofield’s affair with the young man, Willoughby posted a second statement on her personal Instagram account.
Admitting it has “taken time” to process the news, she said it was “very hurtful” to discover Schofield lied to her when she first questioned him over reports of the affair.
She wrote: “It’s taken time to process yesterday’s news. When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It’s been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.”
Despite removing Schofield from This Morning, ITV continues their damage control with PR experts raising questions regarding the future of the show.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, sources close to Willoughby have claimed the experience has been “traumatic” for the host, adding it’s a “time of real sadness” as she had a strong and lengthy friendship with Schofield, however, despite the scandal and questions whether there is too much water under the bridge for This Morning to continue, Willoughby has “absolutely no plans to leave” the show.
According to The Mirror, an ITV spokesperson also addressed questions about the show’s future stating: “As we said on the record yesterday, This Morning is not under review and there’s no plans for the show to be axed. This Morning will return as normal tomorrow.”
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