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‘It has brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life

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Phillip Schofield has said his ‘greatest apology’ over the fallout of his affair was to his much younger former lover, as he admits old photos of them together ‘look shocking’.

Breaking his silence for the first time since he admitted lying to ITV, his lawyers, his wife and co-star of 14 years about the ‘unwise, but not illegal’ relationship with his junior colleague, Schofield admitted he ‘should have known better’.

Speaking of his former lover, the This Morning star said last night: ‘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.

‘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.’

Speaking for the first time since leaving This Morning, Phillip Schofield said his ‘greatest apology’ over the fallout of his affair was to his much younger former lover

Schofield met his former lover when he was just 15-years-old and still at drama school. He later began working at ITV when was 18. Tonight Schofield said the affair started in 2017

Schofield met his former lover when he was just 15-years-old and still at drama school. He later began working at ITV when was 18. Tonight Schofield said the affair started in 2017

Schofield, his former lover and Holly Willoughby sat on the This Morning sofa together

Schofield, his former lover and Holly Willoughby sat on the This Morning sofa together 

Describing himself as a ‘broken’ man, Schofield denied accusations that he groomed the young man who landed a job at This Morning after meeting the former host.

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He told The Sun: ‘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.’

Schofield had met the young man when he was just 15 and still at drama school. He then asked the ex-host for a job, which led to a position as an ITV production assistant when he turned 18. Sometime after that, the affair began.

After the young man  reportedly declared his love for Schofield at an awards ceremony in January 2020, he was then moved to Loose Women, another of the network’s programmes, before eventually leaving the broadcaster.

Yesterday the former ITV veteran insisted to the newspaper that he did not ‘lie to protect’ his career but his colleague had not wanted ‘his name in public’.

The affair, he said, began in 2017 after a ‘consensual moment’ in his dressing room.

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He shut down claims that the pair were in a full-blown relationship, claiming it was ‘not a love affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates’.

Schofield’s groveling public apology to the young man comes a day after revelations that his ‘fragile’ former lover, abandoned his promising TV career to work in a rural pub. 

Friends of the young man claimed he was ‘determined to be famous’, but suffered ‘a big downfall’ when the affair with the presenter ended.

Schofield leaving The Ivy Club with his much younger ex-lover (pictured left) in 2017

Schofield leaving The Ivy Club with his much younger ex-lover (pictured left) in 2017

Describing himself as a 'broken' man, Schofield denied accusations that he groomed the young man who landed a job at This Morning after meeting the former host

Describing himself as a ‘broken’ man, Schofield denied accusations that he groomed the young man who landed a job at This Morning after meeting the former host

Schofield said his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe, was 'very, very angry' when he told her about the affair. Pictured: Schofield with his wife and two daughters, Molly and Ruby Lowe

Schofield said his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe, was ‘very, very angry’ when he told her about the affair. Pictured: Schofield with his wife and two daughters, Molly and Ruby Lowe

In his first sit down interview since leaving ITV last month, he admitted his wife, who he has still not divorced from despite separating after he came out as gay in 2020.

He said his partner of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe, was ‘very, very angry’ with him after he confessed about his affair with his former colleague.

Friends of Ms Lowe told the Daily Mail , the mother of the presenter’s two grown-up daughters, had no idea he was in a relationship because Schofield had always described the man as a friend and colleague.

It was also revealed that Schofield’s oldest daughter Molly Lowe was only informed of her father’s statement admitting the affair moments before the story broke.  

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Speaking ahead of the ex-host’s interview last night, one source told the Mail: ‘Steph is absolutely devastated, she had no idea of any of this. She is a trusting woman who has supported Phil for many, many years so this has been a real shock to her.

‘Phil always positioned the man as a friend so that has prompted a fair bit of anger, to put it mildly.

‘It is literally the most heartbreaking thing that could have happened to Steph, it isn’t just the relationship but the deceit.’ 

The This Morning presenter of more than 20 years had denied to his wife he was having an affair when she had previously quizzed him on it.

He said: ‘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.’

The ex-host went on to shut down allegations that he had groomed the young boy.

The BBC is also set to release an interview with Schofield being grilled by Amol Rajan

The BBC is also set to release an interview with Schofield being grilled by Amol Rajan

Last night, friends of Schofield's wife, Stephanie Lowe, said she was 'devastated' after being told of the affair

Last night, friends of Schofield’s wife, Stephanie Lowe, said she was ‘devastated’ after being told of the affair 

He said: ‘I did not, I did not (groom him).

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‘There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way 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.’

The BBC is also set to release an interview with Schofield being grilled by Amol Rajan.

In a trailer, the former host also told BBC News: ‘It was a totally innocent picture, a totally innocent Twitter follow, of which I follow 11,400 people, and then it was a completely innocent backwards and forwards over a period of time about a job, about careers.

‘What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with talking to someone no matter what age they are?

‘Does that mean that if you’re following anyone on Twitter that you absolutely don’t talk to anybody else or you don’t give advice?’

He added: ‘The brief communications backwards and forwards up to the point that he came to work on This Morning I think was just chat.’

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Schofield clarified why his statement last week said the affair was ‘unwise’, and called it a ‘very, very grave error’.

He added: ‘It was consensual, but it was my fault.’

When did Phillip Schofield resign from This Morning? 

Phillip Schofield’s fall from grace has been swift. The veteran TV star, who has admitted to an affair with a much younger male colleague while still married to his wife, has lost his high-profile job on This Morning, his lucrative contract with ITV and his talent representation.

This is a timeline of how events unfolded:

February 2020: Schofield comes out as gay after nearly 27 years of marriage to wife Stephanie, in an emotional on-air chat with co-host and long-time friend Holly Willoughby. The pair embrace on the sofa.

September 2022: The co-hosts face criticism over claims they skipped the queue for the Queen’s lying in state while attending as members of the media to film a segment for This Morning.

April 17 2023: The first hint something might be wrong comes in the first show after the Easter break. They should have both been on the sofa after Schofield took leave while he brother Timothy was on trial for child sex offences. While Schofield is back in the studio, Willoughby is absent, saying she has shingles.

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May 10: There are reports the pair are ‘barely speaking’.

May 11: Schofield calls Holly ‘his rock’ and says they are ‘the best of friends’.

May 15: The pair put on a united front on This Morning and make no reference to stories about their relationship.

May 18: Schofield presents what will turn out to be his last episode of This Morning.

May 20: Schofield steps down from This Morning with immediate effect. ITV says he will continue to present ‘peak time shows’, including The British Soap Awards and a new prime-time series. Willoughby releases a statement saying the sofa ‘won’t feel the same without him’.

May 21: It is announced that Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond will host the show on Monday May 22, as Willoughby takes early half-term leave. It is announced she will return to hosting duties on June 5.

May 22: O’Leary and Hammond host the show and hail Schofield as ‘one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had’.

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May 26: Schofield admits to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a much younger male colleague and resigns from ITV. He confirms that the relationship began while he was still with his wife and says he will not be hosting the British Soap Awards. He apologises for lying about the relationship. He is dropped by his talent agency YMU.

May 27: Willoughby accuses Schofield of lying to her about the affair, saying his admission is ‘very hurtful’. ITV says the broadcaster was ‘not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour’ when it looked into the matter in 2020.

May 28: Former This Morning resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh says the show is ‘toxic’, adding he raised concerns about ‘bullying and discrimination’ two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was ‘managed out’ for whistleblowing. ITV responds by saying an external and independent adviser was appointed to carry out a review after the complaint, which found ‘no evidence of bullying or discrimination’.

May 29: Schofield releases a statement denying ‘toxicity’ at This Morning and says ‘it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice’. Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes alleges there was a ‘total cover-up’ at ITV over the affair and says Willoughby should follow Schofield ‘out the door’.

May 31: ITV’s chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall says that the broadcaster has instructed a barrister to conduct an external review of how it has handled Schofield’s affair. She adds that Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers, will ‘carry out an external review to establish the facts’.

June 1: Dame Carolyn has been called to give evidence to a parliamentary committee on June 14, to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following the departure of Schofield.

June 1: Schofield says he’s ‘broken and ashamed’ but not a groomer in first interview since he admitted affair with younger male colleague.

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Source: Daily Mail

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