Philip Schofield says his "career is over" in emotional first interview since affair admission
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Phillip Schofield has sat down for an emotional interview with the BBC, the first since admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger colleague at ITV.
Speaking to the BBC's Amol Rajan, Schofield – who has been a permanent fixture on ITV for decades, fronting a string of programmes including This Morning and Dancing On Ice – said that his "career is over" as a result of the affair.
"I have lost everything," he said, adding that he sees "nothing ahead" of him in terms of his career in television, which he refers to in the past tense.
Schofield went on to speak about how his mental health has deteriorated as a result of the highly publicised scandal. "I think I understand how Caroline Flack felt," he said, referencing the Love Island presenter who took her own life in 2020.
"It is relentless, and it is day after day, after day after day," Schofield added of how he's been treated in the media and online. "Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am."
To this, the 61-year-old explained that his two daughters – with whom he shares with ex-wife Stephanie Lowe – are living in fear of what he might do. "Last week, if my daughters hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here," Schofield told Rajan. "They've been by my side every moment because they're scared to let me out of their sight."
Elsewhere in the interview, Schofield – who came out as gay three years ago – commented on how he thinks homophobia has played a role in the public reaction to the affair. "I fully appreciate there is a massive age gap, but that happens in life," he said. "I think there is an enormous amount of homophobia that it happens to be male, but if it was male-female then it wouldn't be such a scandal."
Elaborating on questions about the power balance between himself and the young colleague with whom he had sexual encounters, and whether Schofield had taken advantage of his position, he said: "I understand that, and it's a very valid question to put to me. If it's an abuse of power, it's not in my nature to be that person, but of course it could be perceived as that. But that wasn't how it felt at the time."
Opening up about how the pair met, Schofield confirmed he first met the man – who at the time was 15 years old – when he was invited to appear as part of an event at a drama school many years ago. After that, the pair followed each other on Twitter and engaged in "completely innocent backwards-and-forwards [communication] over a period of time, about a job, about careers."
"What's wrong with that?" Schofield asked of their communication. "What's wrong with talking to someone no matter what age they are, does that mean if you're following anyone on Twitter that you don't give advice?"
Schofield went on to say that, some years later, when the boy came to work at This Morning, there was "absolutely not" any hint of sexual attraction. However, he admitted that their interactions turned romantic "a few months" later.
ITV previously said it had investigated reports of a relationship, but that both parties had repeatedly denied it. The broadcaster has since instructed a barrister to carry out an external review to establish the facts about how ITV handled this investigation.
Phillip Schofield: The Interview is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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