Former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield said he was 'being honest' in his coming out statement back in 2020.

Schofield, 61, left This Morning on 20 May after an apparent feud with former pal Holly Willoughby.

But since then, Schofield has hardly left the headlines thanks to a bombshell revelation he made to the Daily Mail.

The former This Morning presenter admitted to having an affair with a younger male colleague on the show while he was still with wife Stephanie Lowe, and before he came out as gay in 2020.

In his statement provided to the Daily Mail, Schofield said: "I am making this statement via the Daily Mail to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story which they wanted to write about me a few days ago.

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“The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning.

"I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship."

Schofield added the relationship was 'unwise, but not illegal'.

The bombshell statement came over three years after Schofield came out as gay in February 2020, where he claimed he was being 'honest'.

In a statement at the time, the former This Morning presenter said: "You never know what's going on in someone's seemingly perfect life, what issues they are struggling with, or the state of their wellbeing - and so you won't know what has been consuming me for the last few years.

"With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay.

"This is something that has caused many heartbreaking conversations at home."

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"I have been married to Steph for nearly 27 years, and we have two beautiful grown-up daughters, Molly and Ruby.

"My family have held me so close: they have tried to cheer me up, to smother me with kindness and love, despite their own confusion, yet still I can't sleep and there have been some very dark moments."

The presenter went on to say how being gay is a 'reason to celebrate and be proud', before thanking his family and Willoughby for their support.

He concluded the statement with: "This will probably all come as something of a surprise and I understand, but only by facing this, by being honest, can I hope to find peace in my mind and a way forward."

Speaking further with his former pal Willoughby on the This Morning sofa, Schofield added: "All you can be in your life is honest with yourself.

"I was getting to a stage in my life where I was thinking I don't really like myself because I'm not being honest with myself. We always say 'talk to someone'... and you must talk to someone.

"It's brought me back from some dark places and in some cases talking to people saves you."