Phillip Schofield breaks silence on ‘utterly brutal’ time saying there ‘was no way back’
Former This Morning host Philip Schofield has “come to terms” with his new, drama-free life, after he was forced to step away from the limelight following his affair scandal
Philip Schofield left This Morning in May 2023(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Three years on from the scandal that ended his long-running and highly-paid career, former This Morning host Philip Schofield has broken his silence, admitting the period was “utterly brutal”.
After he left ITV in May 2023, the controversy around his “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague left him unable to return to the media.Philip stepped down from his job and he also lost his long-term friend, Holly Willoughby, who completely cut her former pal out of her life.
Schofield first met the individual in question when he was a 15-year-old student at a drama school, but the affair did not start until years later.
But his current lifestyle has seen him bow out of the spotlight, with the 64-year-old insisting he is “content” with his new life. The former Dancing on Ice host told the Mail in an email that he has got used to his “calm and drama free” life.
In what appears to be a dig at his former friend Holly, who he and his family shared many holidays in a plush Portuguese resort, he said: “I decided a while ago that I just wanted a quiet life with family, friends I can trust and my dog.”
Admitting he keeps his “head down”, he added: “The past few years were, as you know, utterly brutal on so many levels and I came to terms with the fact that there was no way back.”
After the affair came to light, both Philip’s reputation and career were left in tatters.
Schofield married wife Stephanie in 1993 and came out as gay on This Morning in 2020. Speaking to The Sun after news of the affair broke, Schofield said he had previously denied rumours about the affair to Stephanie.
He said: “She got off a plane and I phoned her up and texted saying, ‘I need to talk to you’. She called back and I told her. She was very, very angry.” The pair separated in February 2020 but remained married.
Speaking to the Mirror recently, PR expert Mayah Riaz says: “Phillip Schofield’s situation is complicated as it still makes people feel a bit uncomfortable because it sits in that grey area between a genuine wrongdoing and a very public unravelling.”
Riaz added that Holly was “collateral damage” when the news broke, adding: “She was placed in an impossible position where any reaction was going to be criticised. Silence looked complicit, speaking out looked disloyal. That is a PR nightmare no one trains you for.”
Meanwhile, Philip’s seemingly perfect family life has entirely changed, but his loyal daughters, Molly, 32, and Ruby, 29, have stood by their dad throughout his saga.
Speaking on Channel 5 programme Phillip Schofield: Cast Away, Molly explained: “When my dad came out, it was… very hard for me, it was very hard for the entire family – mainly my mum, of course – everything was turned upside down.
“But we talked through it, and over time it’s got easier. You know, my mum, my sister [Ruby], we’re all the same, we will always continue to support him no matter what.”
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