A number of panellists on ITV's Loose Women have reportedly been left furious that they were dragged into the fallout of Phillip Schofield's affair with a much younger member of ITV staff while he was still married.
Phillip, 61, has been dropped by his talent agency YMU after the affair, which was not illegal, and has also stepped down from ITV completely – meaning he will no longer host the British Soap Awards next week.
In a bombshell statement, Phillip admitted the affair but refused to name his former colleague, with whom he had a relationship with.
In a statement shared on Friday evening, Phillip said: "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. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over."
ITV bosses have said they have been left shocked by Phillip Schofield's statement and admission of his affair and later insisted they launched an investigation in 2020, but were lied to.
However, new claims have been made that the ITV employee was moved to Loose Women from This Morning after Phil and the employee's relationship "turned sour", leaving the stars "livid".
One of the show's stars is said to have even made a formal complaint about the situation.
It was also claimed by the Mail Online's Dan Wootton: "I spoke to a number of the Loose Women presenters personally who were livid and worried that they were having to deal with the very real fallout of Phillip's mixed up professional and personal life.
"At least one of the stars had made a formal complaint to management.
"Another told me: 'We shouldn't be having to deal with Phillip's messed up situation. We love (the young worker) but he's very troubled now. What if he can't cope?'"
The Mirror have contacted ITV for comment.
On Friday night Phillip admitted to having an affair with the younger male This Morning employee, while he was still married, in a bombshell statement.
The TV presenter – who quit his 20 year run on This Morning last week – said the relationship occurred during his 30 year marriage to Stephanie Lowe, with whom he shares two daughters.
Phillip covered up the fling for years, which he said was in a bid to "protect" his former colleague, but insists the relationship was not 'illegal'.
The former This Morning star confessed he had lied to ITV, his colleagues, his agent and his family and friends.
"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," Phillip began.
"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.
"That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over."
The former This Morning star went on: "When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody 'forced' me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me.
"In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven't been truthful about the relationship. But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.
"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.
"I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.
"I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.
"To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so. I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected."
Following his confession, Phillip's agency YMU cut ties with Phil.
Mary Bekhait, Group CEO of YMU, said: "This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield. These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisors we had brought in to support him.
"As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect."
Holly Willoughby has also broken her silence, claiming that Phillip lied to her after she questioned him on the rumours.
Her statement read: "It's taken time to process yesterday's news.
"When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not.
"It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie. Holly."
The Mirror has reached out to an ITV spokesperson for comment on this story.
