Phillip Schofield admitted his regret in a tell-all interview with the BBC.
The 61-year-old broadcaster sat down with Amol Rajan to, he said, clarify what really went on in the scandal that has led to his TV downfall. Mr Schofield quit ITV last week after he admitted having an affair with a younger male colleague.
In the interview released today he clarified Mr Schofield was first introduced to the younger man in question when he was aged 15. The former This Morning host said: "I was invited by a friend of mine to go to a school, which is something I've done thousands of times.
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"Whether it was immediately or sometime after [his friend] said would you follow him on Twitter because he's a fan." Mr Schofield agreed and insisted they hardly ever messaged and the conversation strictly centred on career advice.
He said: "I follow 11,300 people, and in all the time I've been on Twitter, there has never been a whiff of impropriety."
Mr Schofield revealed the young man expressed an interest in television aged 19 and asked if he could visit the This Morning studios for work experience, which the broadcaster arranged. He added: "I've done that all my life. I'm best friends with the people who got me into television and I've always believed in paying it forward."
Mr Schofield explained the relationship was never flirtatious and only turned sexual when the man was aged "20/21". He said: "He'd been working at the show for a few months and we'd become mates. We were mates, we hung around the studio together. And then in my dressing room one day, something happened."
Mr Schofield admitted his regret and branded his actions "unforgivable" as he said: "Obviously I will regret forever for him and for me. Mostly him but that happened maybe four or five times over the next few months and I know it's unforgivable but we weren't boyfriends. We weren't in a relationship."
The former ITV host said he was in a "poor mental state with his own sexuality at the time" as he explained how the relationship came to an end. He added: "I thought that was bad but it's nothing like this. It just sort of drifted. We've still stayed mates. We're still mates. I got him work because, living in London, you're obviously struggling. I got him runner's jobs on other shows I did because he was a very good runner and a mate and someone you know."
Mr Schofield said they are still friends and he has arranged independent legal advice for his former colleague.
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