Former This Morning host Phillip Schofield has revealed he's covered in blisters and calluses after turning to vaping in the stress of going public with his affair.
The television star admitted he is in a "bad way" after sharing the truth after lying to his family, ITV colleagues and his agent for years about what was really going on with a younger ITV runner.
In recent weeks, Phil, 61, has dominated the headlines after his fallout with Holly Willoughby emerged before he released a bombshell statement.
After fleeing London, the presenter has now spoken out about the aftermath of his "unwise" but "not illegal" affair with a man he met when he was just 15 years old.
He has also issued an update on his physical health after admitting to vaping excessively to combat the stress of his scandal.
During an interview with The Sun, the presenter presented a collection of "blisters and calluses" as he admitted: "I’ve been vaping, a lot.
"I didn't realise until suddenly it hurt, but I've been sitting looking up at the sky or out of the window, just staring into space.
"I just sit on the sofa and stare. I realise by doing that, I've blistered both hands."
Phillip added: "I am in a very bad way. Mentally, utterly, utterly broken, I think when you've caused this damage, you can expect nothing, it's my fault, I completely understand."
The star went on to explain that in recent days he hasn't been eating properly and there has been "a lot of Southern Comfort".
He went on to disclose that after escaping London to be in Cornwall with his mum, 87, his former agent at YMU called to say the drama surrounding Phillip was too much and he "will have to step down from This Morning."
But despite social media speculation, Phillip ruled out claims that he had groomed his young lover and explained their affair started five years after they first met.
He claimed the affair began in 2017 after a "consensual moment" in his dressing room.
He said: "It was not a love affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates.
"It wasn't feelings (I was getting), it was more like mates: excitement," he said.
During a second chat with the BBC, Phillip stated that the man in question was around 20 or 21 years of age when they engaged in a sexual relationship.
Seeking to clarify the nature of their relationship when the former colleague was underage, Rajan said: "Just be really clear, your relationship between when you met him when he was 15 and then when he was 18 was occasional direct messages… no pictures of each other sent to each other?"
Schofield responded by shaking his head.
Asked whether the messages were flirtatious, the former TV presenter said: "Just work-related, just career advice, career help."
Schofield also agreed there was "no sort of sexual forwardness" at that time by another shake of his head.
