Phillip Schofield’s This Morning departure addressed by hosts
Phillip Schofield admitted to having an affair with a younger, male This Morning colleague on Friday.
The presenter has since left ITV and has been dropped by his talent agency YMU.
In a bombshell statement, the 61-year-old did not name the former colleague that he cheated on his wife with, but said the relationship was “unwise, but not illegal”.
The broadcaster insisted they launched an investigation back in 2020, but “both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours”.
It has now been claimed that the employee in question was moved from This Morning to Loose Women when the affair “turned sour”.
This is reported to have left some of the latter’s stars “livid and worried”, with one supposedly making a formal complaint.
Mail Online’s Dan Wootton wrote: “I spoke to a number of the Loose Women presenters personally who were livid and worried that they were having to deal with the very real fall-out of Phillip’s mixed-up professional and personal life.
“At least one of the stars had made a formal complaint to management.”
He continued: “Another told me: ‘We shouldn’t be having to deal with Phillip’s messed up situation.
“‘We love (the young worker) but he’s very troubled now. What if he can’t cope?'”
Express.co.uk has contacted a spokesperson for ITV for comment.
Phillip confirmed the affair with the man, which occurred during his 30-year marriage to Stephanie Lowe, and claimed he covered it up for years.
His statement read: “Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me.
“In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship. But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.
“I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”
The father-of-two also stated: “… I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.”
A spokesperson for ITV said yesterday that the broadcaster was “not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour” when it looked into the matter in 2020.
“ITV can confirm that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated.
“Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours as did Phillip’s then agency YMU.
“In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.
“Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship.”
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