ITV has confirmed it investigated rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and a younger male employee in early 2020, but both parties “categorically and repeatedly denied” the claims. The broadcaster said it found no evidence beyond hearsay and rumour, adding that Schofield later admitted he had lied to senior management, fellow presenters, and his agency.
Schofield quit ITV on Friday after acknowledging he had had a consensual on-off affair with a younger colleague on This Morning. In a statement to the Daily Mail, he said the relationship was “unwise, but not illegal” and apologised for being unfaithful to his wife, Stephanie Lowe, and for lying to colleagues, agents, and the public. He stressed that although he met the man as a teenager, the relationship only began after the colleague started working on the show.
Former ITV daytime figures, including Eamonn Holmes and Dan Wootton, have questioned how much the network’s managers knew about the affair. ITV said it was “badly let down” by Schofield’s assurances, which he now acknowledges were untrue.
The 61-year-old presenter will no longer front the British Soap Awards or a planned prime-time series. His talent agency, YMU, has also cut ties with him. Schofield left This Morning last week after reports of a rift with co-star Holly Willoughby, with his final appearance on 18 May.
In a separate development, his brother Timothy Schofield was jailed for 12 years in May after being found guilty of sexually abusing a boy.
