Phillip Schofield made his debut on This Morning in 2002, and he has been the staple face of ITV's schedule ever since.
The father-of-two fronted the show with Fern Britton before helping Holly Willoughby secure a spot to pave the way for the duo to become a well-known and popular partnership, and at the time he was known as the king of daytime TV.
Now, his career is said to be in ruins after admitting to an affair with a younger colleague on This Morning, which he described as not 'illegal, but unwise' soon after he resigned from ITV at the weekend, reports the Mirror.
The shamed star has now apologised to his family, ITV and his management for the betrayal but many are wondering how - and when - it all went wrong for Schofield.
Phil first meets younger lover
Phillip met the younger colleague who he later had an affair with during a visit to the 15-year-old's school when he was in his 40s.
The presenter is said to have been invited to give a talk to the theatre school in the North West of England in 2011 by a friend who also knew the drama student.
According to The Mail on Sunday, Schofield came across as “enthusiastic, encouraging and generous with his time”.
The schoolboy asked the This Morning presenter for a job, with Schofield promising to arrange an interview at an appropriate time.
They exchange first tweets
In the same year, the pair exchanged tweets.
The young male made his first Twitter account in 2011, tweeting the presenter: "@Schofe hey phillip, thanks for following me, how are you?" There was no reply from Phil.
In 2014, the teenager made another Twitter account after turning 18. Phil tweeted him, saying: "Hey, welcome back! How’s the acting going? Got the big break yet? "
The drama student appears to have replied, but his account is private.
A few minutes later Phil posted another tweet saying: "all good, see you on the @itvthismorning sofa soon then."
Runner gets job on This Morning
In April 2016, the drama student began working as a runner on This Morning, at the time he was 20.
He'd previously been invited to the show where he met Holly and Phil for a tour of the studio.
Pictures of the three sitting on the This Morning sofa were shared as the runner thanked Phil for 'teaching him so much'.
He also interviewed the presenter in 2015 about his time fronting the award-winning programme, which he 'loves so much'.
Runner pictured with Holly and her husband Dan outside the NTAs
In January 2020, the runner was snapped having a short conversation with Holly outside the NTAs.
The This Morning presenter was walking alongside her husband, Dan Baldwin, when Phillip's former lover appeared to walk up to them.
Phillip was also pictured nearby with wife Stephanie Lowe as the pair left the glitzy event.
Phil comes out as gay
During a This Morning broadcast on February 8 2020, Phillip emotionally came out as gay.
Addressing the nation with Holly by his side, he said: "With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay.
"This is something that has caused many heart-breaking conversations at home.
"I have been married to Steph for nearly 27 years, and we have two beautiful grown-up daughters, Molly and Ruby.
"My family have held me so close: they have tried to cheer me up, to smother me with kindness and love, despite their own confusion, yet still I can't sleep and there have been some very dark moments."
Timothy Schofield charged with child sex offences
In May 2023, Phil's brother Timothy Schofield was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, three of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison after Phil declared he 'no longer had a brother'.
Phil's reported feud with Holly
According to reports, Holly is said to have been kept unaware of Tim's trial and this was made worse, sources say, by Phil's impromptu statement about their friendship, saying things 'hadn't been easy between them'.
Their former close bond was said to be on the rocks as reports of a bitter feud were leaked.
The pair carried on presenting the show despite the daily drama unfolding on social media, but viewers picked up on the tension between them.
Phil quits This Morning
After days of tension with Holly, Phil sensationally quit the show 'he loves' on May 20.
In a statement, he said: "I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story.
"Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind.
"I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.
"So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future."
Phil admits affair with younger colleague
Over the weekend, Phillip confessed he had engaged in a romantic affair with a younger man while married to his wife, Stephanie Lowe.
Claiming the “consensual on-off relationship” was “unwise, but not illegal”, he said he was “very sorry” for the affair.
"I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning," he said
"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."
Holly says Phil lied to her about affair
Holly remained tight lipped after Phil's bombshell statement after 'taking time to process' his shock announcement.
However, on Saturday, she said: "It has taken time to process yesterday's news.
"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."
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