Phillip Schofield first met the male colleague he later had an affair with during a visit to the 15-year-old’s school when he was in his 40s, it has been reported.
The former This Morning presenter, 61, is said to have been invited to give a talk at a theatre school in the North West of England by a friend, who also knew the 15-year-old drama student.
According to The Mail on Sunday, the meeting took place 12 years ago, with Schofield, who was then in his 40s, coming across as “enthusiastic, encouraging and generous with his time”.
The schoolboy asked the This Morning presenter for a job, with Schofield promising to arrange an interview at an appropriate time.
The TV host came through with his promise, with the teenager being invited to London for an interview, in which he was said to have made a good impression. He was hired as a production assistant for ITV when he turned 18 years old and started working on This Morning.
Schofield, who was in his 50s at the time, began an ill-advised friendship with the young man, which became unusually closer over time.
It turns out that Schofield’s ill-advised friendship had turned into an affair, which saw him unfaithful to his wife. Schofield admitted the affair, adding it was "consensual" and "unwise but not illegal".
Concerns had been raised at ITV about how far the pair’s relationship had progressed, which was dismissed as gossip by bosses, due to lack of evidence. However, staff noted that the Schofield and the runner were seen together at eateries close to ITV’s studios, huddled together.
It was not until 2020 that ITV began investigating the rumours.
The Mail on Sunday reported that ITV’s investigation was likely sparked by an incident that occurred at the start of the year – where Schofield’s former partner was in attendance at an awards ceremony.
He was said to have stunned his ITV colleagues by, as one put it, “declaring his love for Phil in no uncertain terms”.
The affair remained a secret since then, with ITV moving the young man off This Morning.
A source at ITV told The Mail: “He and Phil were close and then he just went off to another programme.
“It was odd, the two men just stopped talking so much. Phil had been such a support to him, he was a really talented and hard-working guy.
“Some of the network's biggest names expressed their surprise at the time, he was very popular. He never really spoke about it, it was very mysterious.”
Schofield admitted the affair earlier this week. His full statement can be read here.
He said: "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."
