Footage of Phillip Schofield downing whiskey with his younger lover live on ITV has resurfaced online.
Last week, Schofield, 61, stepped back from This Morning amidst rumours he was feuding with his co-host Holly Willoughby and later he admitted an "unwise" but "not illegal" affair with a young male runner, which resulted in his exit from ITV completely.
In the clip from 2016, the runner can be seen in an elf costume during a festive gift guide segment and as Schofield samples whisky from a £1,000 calendar on offer, he turns to the young man and asks him: "Do you want some?"
He then adds: "Let's get the elf smashed!"
The runner then drinks the miniature and gives the camera a thumbs up.
Holly Willoughby, who has denied all knowledge of the affair, can also be seen in the clip, sampling the alcohol.
Over the weekend, Holly addressed rumours that she knew about the affair on Instagram, saying: "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."
Schofield's affair happened whilst he was still married to wife Stephanie Lowe and before he came out publicly as gay.
It has been reported that Phil first met the younger ITV colleague, whom he later had an affair with, when he was aged 15.
Lawyers representing Schofield have confirmed they met when the boy was 15, but said the affair began after he started working at ITV, and the man's lawyers have also confirmed this.
In a statement on Friday, Phillip said the man was a teenager when they were introduced, and he was asked to help him get into television. But he underlined that it was a number of years later when he joined the show as an adult that their affair began.
The Mail On Sunday reported the pair first met when Phillip was giving a talk at a theatre school when the TV presenter was in his late 40s.
It said some years later the younger man joined the production team on This Morning when Phillip was in his early 50s and their relationship developed from a friendship to an affair.
The newspaper also said Schofield confirmed the affair after the young man revealed details about the relationship to his lawyers.
It comes after ITV said it investigated “rumours of a relationship” between Phillip and the ITV employee around three years ago but that both parties “categorically and repeatedly denied” it.
A spokesperson for ITV said on Saturday the broadcaster was “not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour” when it looked into the matter in 2020.
“Phillip’s statement reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship”, they added.
The broadcaster also said it was “deeply disappointed” by the “admissions of deceit” by Phil after he spoke publicly about the affair.
“The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust,” a statement from a spokesperson for ITV added.
“Phillip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down.”
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