Phillip Schofield parted ways with ITV this weekend after he admitted lying to the broadcaster and his colleagues about an affair with a younger male colleague on This Morning.
He initially walked away from the show after rumours of a feud between himself and co-host Holly Willoughby, who says Phillip also lied to her about the affair.
Then came the shocking statement about his much-younger ex on Friday night.
At first, many wondered why Schofield had suddenly confessed to the on-off relationship in a bombshell statement.
However, it has since been claimed that a recent gesture of help for his ex - who was over 18 at the time of their fling - immediately came back to bite him.
Phil is said to have hired top law firm Mishcon de Reya to represent his former partner, who is now in his mid-20s.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Schofield hired the law firm "presumably believing that" his ex "would keep quiet".
However, the opposite is said to be true.
According to the publication, Phil's unnamed ex told his legal team that while he feared being exposed, he was growing tired of lying about the relationship.
The move apparently led to Schofield having to admit what had really happened to his management company of 35 years, before going public with his statement.
Meanwhile, the backlash against Phil's self-confessed deceit continues to be furious.
Breaking her silence for the first time on the furore, co-host Holly said Phil had lied to her face.
She said: "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."
ITV also released a statement on Saturday confirming they had investigated Phil over the same allegations in 2020, but he denied the affair.
A spokesperson for ITV told the Mirror 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.
"ITV can confirm that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated", the statement read.
"Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours as did Phillip's then agency YMU.
"In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.
"Phillip's statement yesterday 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."
Schofield admitted the affair on Friday. 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."
