Phillip Schofield has given an honest and moving interview on camera for the first time since he announced he had an affair with a younger member of staff and quit ITV. The former co-host of This Morning, Phillip first left the long-running magazine show after reports of a rift with Holly Willoughby and then revealed he had an affair with a younger member of This Morning staff before quitting ITV completely.
Now, in his first on-camera interview, Phillip has spoken to the BBC's Amol Rajan where he answered many of the questions which have been circulating since his controversy started. The man who Phillip had an affair with is not named in the interview for his own privacy.
Here are the key points from the interview, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.
READ MORE: Phillip Schofield interview: ‘I’m not a bully’ as he addresses criticism from former colleagues
1. Phillip's mental health
Speaking with a raw and moving openness, Phillip said he had been struggling with his mental health. He said he felt like he had to do the interview to share his side of the story.
"I have to. Because there is an innocent person here, who didn't do anything wrong. Who is vulnerable and probably feels like I do," he continued, commenting that both men are feeling the affects of public fallout of the scandal.
Later in the interview, Phillip said: "Do you want me to die? Because that is where I am. I have lost everything." and compared himself to Caroline Flack, a TV presenter who took her own life in 2020. He also spoke about the support he has received from his daughters.
Phillip said: "My daughters saved my life...they haven't left me for a moment. They have been by my side every moment because they are scared to let me out of their sight...if my girls hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here because I don't see a future."
2. Phillip is paying for the man's lawyers
Phillip has said that he is paying for the lawyer of the man he had an affair with.
3. Phillip first met the man when the man was 15
Phillip explained that he first met the man he later had an affair with when the man was 15 and in a school, he had visited. Phillip said he was asked by his friend to follow the man on Twitter as the man was a "fan" of Phillip, so he did.
Phillip said after following the man they did not talk much via emails or direct messages. The man then asked Phillip if he could come to This Morning studios to have a look and for work experience and Phillip said this was when the man was 19.
Phillip said: "I've done it all my life. I'm best friends with the people who got me into television and I've always believed in paying it forward and so I didn't think about it."
The former presenter said there was no sense that he was flirting with the man while organising his work experience and giving career advice and there was no element of it that was sexual.
4. The man was 20 when sexual relationship started
Phillip said the man was 20 when their sexual relationship started. He said he had no sexual relationship with the man when the man was underage.
When the sexual relationship started the man had been working at This Morning for a few months and Phillip said the relationship started out as friendship.
He said: "We'd become mates, we were mates. Around the studios, you hang out together, chat to each other, that sort of stuff. And then in my dressing room one day, something happened. Which obviously I will regret forever, for him and for me. Mostly him."
5. They had sexual relations five or six times
Phillip said he and the man had sexual relations five or six times before the affair came to an end after a few months. He said: "I know it's unforgivable but we weren't boyfriends, we weren't in a relationship."
The former This Morning host said he was struggling with his own sexuality at the time of the affair. He said: "I was really in a mess with my own sexuality at the time and it just happened."
After the affair, Phillip and the man remained friends and the host added that he got him runner jobs on other projects he did.
6. The man was given the This Morning job on his own merit
Phillip said the man earnt his position at This Morning through his own merit, as he was "very good" at his job.
7. Phillip did not tell Holly Willoughby
Phillip said that he never told his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby about the affair. He says he will miss sharing a dressing room with Holly.
He said: "I don't know whether Holly ever asked me, she might have done, but I would have denied it. Holly did not know. Nobody knew."
Phillip last sent Holly a Whatsapp message saying he was so "desperately, desperately sorry" before he put up his statement and Holly has not replied to the message.
8. Phillip denies being a bully and says This Morning is not toxic
In the interview, Phillip said he is not a bully. He said: "I have never abused my power anywhere, I am not a bully...I don't lord it around TV studios, everyone is a friend...I am not rude on the studio floor, I don't bully people, I don't lord it around, we are all a very very on one-level team."
Later in the interview, Phillip said This Morning is not a toxic workplace. He said: "There is no toxicity, there is no bullying, there is no discrimination at This Morning."
9. There is no injunction
It has been widely reported that there was an injunction/super injunction meaning the media can not name the man and Phillip has denied this. He said there was never and is not currently any injunction of any kind.
Phillip also said he did not get the man fired or moved on from This Morning, the man choose to move to another ITV show Loose Women. Phillip said there were no taxis from his home to the This Morning studio for the man and the man only visited his house once.
10. Phillip apologises
In the interview, Phillip apologises to everyone he lied to and the man he had an affair with. He said: "I would say to my family, my friends, my work colleagues, the public, to ITV, to my management company, to everyone that I lied to I am desperately, desperately sorry but principality I would like to him. Because it may have been consensual, it may have been fully legal but I shouldn't have allowed it to happen and that was a grave, grave error."
11. Phillip believes he will not be on TV again
When asked "Where do you think your career will go from here?" Phillip simply answered "nowhere" and said previously in the interview people don't need to worry about him as they will not be seeing him again.
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