Phillip Schofield has shared details of his last communication with former co-presenter Holly Willoughby following his high profile departure from ITV and This Morning.
The duo, who presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted ITV’s Dancing On Ice before Schofield resigned from ITV, had been open about their close friendship over the years including going on holiday together.
Schofield has been speaking about the affair he had with a younger male colleague for the first time since he left the broadcaster last week.
Willoughby has been on a two week half-term break having taken an early holiday around the time news of her former co-host’s departure emerged and has this week been pictured on holiday in Portugal with her family. She will return to host This Morning on Monday alongside Josie Gibson.
Schofield said he “didn’t tell anybody” about his affair with his former This Morning colleague and that his ex co-host Willoughby “did not know” in a tell-all interview with BBC’s Amol Rajan.
Asked by the BBC’s Rajan whether he told Willoughby, he said: “No, oh god, no, that’s a bigger question because our make-up room was like a sanctuary so you tell everything in that room.
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“Holly knows everything about me, I know everything about Holly…. Holly did not know. Nobody knew. I didn’t tell anybody.”
Asked about who on his team knew about the relationship, the presenter said: “Nobody to my knowledge. I mean somebody has to know something for there to be a rumour later on. I didn’t believe that anybody knew.”
The 61-year-old presenter apologised to Willoughby for lying to her about his relationship when he spoke to The Sun.
He said: “I’ve lost my best friend. I let her (Holly) down. I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down.
“Holly did not know (about the affair) and she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say: ‘I am so, so sorry that I lied to you’. “She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply, as well. So yeah. If anyone is in any way linking Holly to this; that is absolutely, wholly untrue.”
Schofield said his friendship with his former co-presenter did not break down following their visit to the late Queen’s lying-in-state, but after his brother, Timothy, was jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing a boy.
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