Chris Tarrant has criticised Phillip Schofield’s dramatic fall from grace, branding the former This Morning presenter “the most over-exposed man ever” and claiming fame ultimately “went to his head.”
Schofield stepped down from This Morning in 2023 after more than two decades fronting the ITV daytime show.
Days later, he issued a bombshell statement admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger male colleague during his marriage.
The 63-year-old apologised for lying about the affair and resigned from all ITV roles with “immediate effect,” shortly before being dropped by his talent agency. His departure followed mounting rumours of tension with long-time co-host Holly Willoughby, 44.
Now, former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host Tarrant has weighed in. “He lost the plot,” he said, suggesting Schofield struggled to manage his fame.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: “There was not a hint of apology or ‘Maybe I was a little bit out of order’, Christ Almighty.
“He was the most over-exposed man ever, maybe apart from [Terry] Wogan at his peak – but Terry was on all the time because he was very good and funny and likeable and bright as a button.”
He continued: “Schofield, they always said, ‘Oh, but he’s a safe pair of hands’. Did anyone ever say, ‘Ooh, it’s five to eight, got to get home quick because the safe pair of hands is on’?”
Since stepping away from the spotlight, Schofield has kept a low profile, apart from appearance in Castaway, a Channel 5 series that saw him dropped alone on a remote island to reflect on his past.
Willoughby, meanwhile, left This Morning several months later after it was revealed she had been the target of a kidnapping plot uncovered by the FBI.
She recently made her Netflix debut with Celebrity Bear Hunt.
Tarrant’s remarks come after former This Morning presenter Fern Britton said Schofield’s departure from the show sparked “a lot of mixed emotions”, and described their years working together as “mostly great fun”.
Britton, 67, presented the morning programme with Schofield for eight years before leaving in 2009.
In an interview with Saga Magazine, Britton, speaking about Schofield stepping down from This Morning, said: “It brought up a lot of mixed emotions. The years we worked together were mostly great fun and we were a very good partnership, which I can remember with fondness.
“I knew how much he loved his job and cared deeply for his public perception. It must have been a terribly difficult time for him and his family.”
Britton also spoke about learning not to let others take advantage of her easy-going nature.
“I think I understand myself a bit better now, and can look back and see that I foolishly handed power to partners, bosses and colleagues, because I’m very easy-going and I never used to see around the corner and think, ‘Oh hang on, they’re actually manipulating me’,” she said.
