What Phillip Schofield thinks of Holly Willoughby as he opens up after scandal
Nearly three years ago, on Saturday 20 May 2023, Phillip Schofield announced he was stepping down from This Morning ‘with immediate effect’.
The presenter had spent more than 20 years with the ITV programme, with 14 of those years spent with Holly Willoughby at his side on the sofa - who of course famously asked us all if we 'are OK' afterwards.
Schofield's resignation came after he admitted to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a much younger male colleague on This Morning.
His life changed pretty much overnight; dropped by his talent agency after decades, his separation from wife Stephanie formalised in divorce and doubt cast over his future in TV.
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And as he retreated from the spotlight, it appeared and was rumoured that his long friendship with Willoughby also came to an end.
While he is rarely seen of or heard from now, Schofield has spoken out about the ‘brutal’ recent years.
“Life is really calm and drama free now,” he told the Daily Mail over email.
The 64-year-old explained he made the decision a while ago that he just wants a ‘quiet life’ with people he can trust and his dog.
“Therefore I keep my head down as much as possible,” he continued. “The past few years were, as you know, utterly brutal on so many levels and I came to terms with the fact that there was no way back.
“I’ve got used to my new life and I’m content with that and happy.”
Willoughby and Schofield were once extremely close and the details of what happened between them after the scandal have never been totally clear.
He confirmed that she ‘did not know’ about his affair and he had lied to his colleagues.
And now a source tells Daily Mail that the pair won’t even say the other’s name.
“It runs that deep,” the source claimed. “It got really, really toxic in the end, actually for a long time things hadn’t been that great between them but they had to hold it together for This Morning. Despite what happened, in front of the camera they were pros.”
They also claimed that: “Phil feels totally let down by Holly. He believes she threw him under the bus when he really needed her.
“Holly was devastated that Phil lied to her over his affair. Friends of hers also believe that Phil wasn’t always as nice to her as the viewers would see.
“There was a lot of jealousy on his part and he became very good at making Holly feel bad about her success. She’s free from that now, her life has changed so much, too.
“When you look back at how close they were it is sad but it became an impossible situation and for Holly, it has been very freeing.”
A spokesperson for Schofield told LADbible this morning (16 May): "There was NEVER any jealousy on Phillip’s part over H’s success… He fought for her to get the job!"
Following the admission of the affair, Schofield told the BBC it was a ‘grave error’ and he was ‘desperately sorry’.
He added that he doubted he would return to a career in TV which ‘breaks my heart’ as he said: “I have lost everything.”
Schofield said: “I fully appreciate there is a massive age gap, but that happens in life. I think there is an enormous amount of homophobia that it happens to be male, but if it was male-female then it wouldn't be such a scandal.”
LADbible has contacted representatives for Willoughby for comment.
Topics: Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, This Morning, Celebrity
Jess Battison