Holly Willoughby has issued a brief statement about Phillip Schofield’s This Morning affair scandal.
On Friday (26 May), it was revealed that Schofield had been dropped by his agent after the TV host admitted to lying about a “consensual” relationship he had with a younger male colleague while being married to his wife.
Schofield later confirmed in a statement addressing the scandal that he had stepped down from ITV altogether, including from his role as a presenter at the British Soap Awards.
Willoughby, who co-hosted the ITV daytime series alongside Schofield for 12 years, posted an update on her Instagram Stories on Saturday (27 May), saying: “It’s taken time to process yesterday's news.”
She said she had “asked Phil directly” about whether rumours of his relationship with a This Morning colleague were true, but he assured her they were not.
“When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not,” she wrote, adding: “It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.”
In Schofield’s statement to the Daily Mail shared on Friday, he explained that he had an “unwise” but “consensual on-off relationship with someone working on This Morning”.
“In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship,” he said.
“I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”
The presenter also revealed he has officially cut ties with ITV altogether. An ITV spokesperson said the channel felt “badly let down” by Schofield, and accepted his resignation.
Before Schofield’s confession, Willoughby previously said of his departure: “It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”
