Phillip Schofield: Key factors from his interview after leaving This Morning
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hillip Schofield has spoken concerning the affair he had with a youthful male colleague for the primary time since leaving ITV.
Here are the important thing factors from his interview with The Sun:
– Denied grooming
Schofield mentioned: “I did not (groom him). There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way (an abuse of power) because we’d become mates. I don’t know about that.
“But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that anywhere else.”
– Started in 2017
Schofield informed The Sun the affair with the youthful colleague started in 2017 after a “consensual moment” in his dressing room.
He mentioned: “It was not a love affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates.
“It wasn’t feelings (I was getting), it was more like mates: excitement.”
The former This Morning presenter mentioned he was struggling together with his sexuality on the time, and the pair had been collectively “maybe five or six times”.
He added: “We just didn’t think anyone knew, there was no lying, we thought, stupidly, that nobody knew.”
– Apology
Schofield mentioned his “greatest apology” over the fallout from the affair was to his former lover.
He went on: “It has brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life, his totally innocent family, his totally innocent friends. It has brought the greatest grief to them.”
He added: “I am deeply sorry and I apologise to him because I should have known better. I should have acted the way I have always acted. I should not have done it.
“I’m sorry. And I will forever be sorry. I will die sorry. I am so deeply mortified.”
– Homophobia
Schofield recommended homophobia might be behind a number of the criticism levelled at him over the age hole.
He mentioned: “Attraction is attraction. It’s no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world.
“There shouldn’t be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in.
“We did first meet when he was 15, I visited the drama school (he attended).”
He added: “So yeah, there’s a difference. It’s accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s not accepted if it’s in the gay world.”
– Wife
He mentioned his spouse was “very, very angry” after he confessed to her about his affair with a youthful ITV colleague.
Schofield had beforehand denied rumours concerning the affair to her when she had requested about them.
He mentioned: “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.”
– Holly Willoughby ‘did not know’
The 61-year-old presenter apologised to Willoughby for mendacity to her about his relationship.
He mentioned: “I’ve lost my best friend. I let her down (Holly). I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down.
“Holly did not know (about the romance). And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, ‘I am so, so sorry that I lied to you’.
“She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply, as well. So yeah. If anyone is in any way linking Holly to this; that is absolutely, wholly untrue.”
– Relationship with Willoughby
Schofield mentioned his friendship together with his former co-presenter didn’t break down following their go to to the late Queen’s lying-in-state, however after his brother Timothy was jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing a boy.
He mentioned: “So we are forever now (associated)… it doesn’t matter now because I’m not going to go out any more … but forever now, you go to the butchers and someone says, ‘Oh do you want to (skip ahead)…?’ ‘No, no, I’ll stand here.’ I’m serious.
“I don’t ever throw anyone under the bus, but I have a very good instinct for these things and I knew it was a bad thing to do.”
He added: “We were texting each other backwards and forwards afterwards. I said to Holly, ‘I knew I should have gone with my gut,’ and she said, ‘I know’.
“But we were shell-shocked, the both of us, completely shell-shocked by the reaction.
“What are the two things you don’t screw up? The Queen and a queue.”
– This Morning
The presenter mentioned he’s now not involved with anybody from ITV, however is adamant the present shouldn’t be axed.