Phillip Schofield has “massive guilt” over his affair with a younger male colleague.
Phillip Schofield has ‘massive guilt’ over his affair with a younger male colleague
The former ITV ‘This Morning’ host, 61, announced he was leaving the broadcaster at the weekend after details about the relationship emerged, and has now used two bombshell interviews – with the BBC and The Sun – to stress he did not groom his lover.
He told the BBC’s Amol Rajan on Thursday (01.06.23) when asked about how he was first photographed in the same image with, and followed his future partner on Twitter, when he was a teen: “It was a completely innocent backwards and forwards about a job – what is wrong with that?”
Talking to The Sun, which said the presenter was visibly shaking and “furiously vaping” during the interview, Phillip said: “I did not, 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.
“I assume somebody, somewhere, assumed something was going on, correctly, and didn’t say anything.
“At the time I did not think about it possibly ruining my career. I really probably only thought about it when I saw the rumour mill, and saw it growing.
“Then I saw the link with the drama school photo all those years before, and thought, ‘This looks shocking.’
“But I didn’t lie to protect my career, he didn’t want his name in public. He wanted his own life.
“The lies grew bigger and bigger and bigger and it was affecting both of us deeply.
“It got to the stage where it was out of control and for whatever cost, it had to stop.
“I have massive guilt, and regret. I’ve made a mistake, I’ve had an affair at work.”
It has been confirmed that ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall has been summoned to Parliament to be questioned on safeguarding, with
the Culture, Media and Sport Committee wanting to quiz her next week.
Phillip added in his interview with The Sun that some rumours online about his affair are false.
He insisted his former boyfriend did not receive a penny in “hush” money to cover up their affair and said no non-disclosure agreement had been signed that would stop the man from speaking out.
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