Holly Willoughby returns to 'This Morning': What to know on ITV, Phillip Schofield drama

A British morning show scandal is making waves across the world.

Britain's "This Morning" television program has become the center of spectacle, drawing comparisons to Apple TV+'s drama series "The Morning Show" – but what's unfurled over the last few weeks isn't scripted, and some viewers are questioning whether the show will be able to carry on.

Co-host Phillip Schofield, 61, departed the show late last month, later revealing he had an affair with a junior colleague. Schofield's co-host Holly Willoughby returned to "This Morning" on Monday and said she had had a lot to process following Schofield's revelation.

Here's what to know.

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What happened with Phillip Schofield and ITV's 'This Morning'?

Schofield announced he would be leaving ITV's "This Morning" in late May and later said he lied about a relationship with a much younger male colleague.

The 61-year-old left ITV on May 20 after reports surfaced surrounding tensions with co-host Willoughby, according to the BBC. At the time, ITV had said he would host The British Soap Awards and would also be part of an upcoming program that was under development. Schofield last appeared on "This Morning" on May 18.

Schofield, who started at ITV in 2002, shared a now-removed statement on Instagram, according to the BBC, and said he had "always" done his "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," he said. "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."

The following week, Schofield revealed he had an affair, which he said was consensual. He said in a statement to the Daily Mail at the time that the move was "unwise but not illegal."

"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 a just a friendship," Schofield said. He apologized for lying and for being unfaithful to his wife.

ITV said in a statement that it accepted his resignation following the revelation.

"We are deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit made tonight (Friday 26 May) by Phillip Schofield," ITV said. "The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Philip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down."

The network added the next day that it investigated rumors of a relationship between Schofield and another ITV employee in early 2020.

Along with ITV, Schofield's agents ended their working relationship in response.

Later, in an interview with BBC News, Schofield shared that his "career is over" and called the affair — which he said consisted of several sexual encounters, but not a relationship, that started when his unnamed colleague was 20 — "a grave error."

"I see nothing ahead of me but blackness, and sadness, and regret, and remorse, and guilt," he said. "I did something very wrong, and then I lied about it consistently."

He added that he understands people believe the relationship was an abuse of power and said he "didn't feel like that at the time."

Who is Phillip Schofield?

Schofield is well known as a television presenter in the U.K.

He was on "This Morning" for more than two decades. He also hosted children's shows and had spots on many other shows, including a 2021 appearance on "Ted Lasso."

Schofield, who was still married to Stephanie Lowe when the affair happened, made headlines in 2020 when he came out as gay on "This Morning."

The pair, who share two children, separated in 2020 after he came out, according to the BBC. Schofield told The Sun in 2020 that "it has taken me a long time to get here, I am not rushing to get to any other place. We will always be a family. That is the one definite, constant, absolute positive thing. And where the wind blows us I don’t know.”

What Holly Willoughby said when she returned to 'This Morning'

Willoughby, 42, hosted "This Morning" alongside Schofield for more than a decade. She took time off after his departure, and was back on air Monday.

When the news broke that he would be departing the show initially, she shared a statement of support, despite speculation circling around tensions between the co-hosts.

"It's been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil, and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour," Willoughby said in a now removed statement on Instagram, according to the BBC.

Her tune changed when Schofield's affair was made public.

She said in a statement that she asked Schofield about the relationship when reports first surfaced. "I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not," she said. "It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."

When she returned to the show Monday, she spoke to viewers asking if they were OK.

"It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil," she said. "I imagine you might be feeling a lot like I have, shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what's going on, and full of questions."

She said "what unites us all now is a desire to heal, for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other."

Who will host ITV's 'This Morning'?

At the time of Schofield's departure from "This Morning," ITV said that "members of the This Morning family" would be joining Willoughby, according to the BBC.

On Monday, Willoughby was joined onscreen by television personality Josie Gibson, who has been a guest presenter on "This Morning" in the past and won "Big Brother" in 2010.

Gibson has also appeared on other television programs including "Celebrity Dinner Date" and "The Jump" in 2017. She made her first appearance on "This Morning" in 2019 as a competition announcer and filled in for Willoughby in 2021 for the first time as a presenter. She has appeared as a presenter more regularly since.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Phillip Schofield: What to know about ITV star's departure, drama