Phillip Schofield has officially left ITV after admitting publicly that he had an affair with a much younger colleague.
The presenter has since been let go by his talent agency YMU following the relationship, which was not illegal, and has quit ITV – and so will no longer host the British Soap Awards next week, The Mirror reported.
In a revealing statement, he admitted to the affair but wouldn't name the former ITV colleague.
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Station bosses are shocked by Phillip Schofield's statement, insiders said.
Senior staff on This Morning told the Mirror they were "angry and stunned" at it and how Phillip had behaved.
One source said: "He lied point blank to staff at every level."
YMU Entertainment and Phillip published separate statements about the dissolution of their partnership with 'immediate effect'.
"Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do. Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust," YMU stated.
"This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield. These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisors we had brought in to support him.
"As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect," they added.
Phillip stated: "It is with the most profound regret that after 35 years of being faultlessly managed by YMU I have agreed to step down from their representation with immediate effect."
He admitted to the affair in a later statement.
He said: "I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. 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."
Phillip, who's former TV bestie Holly has made a return to Instagram, also revealed he has quit ITV altogether, which means he won't be hosting the British Soap Awards next week.
Phillip said he was "deeply sorry" to his lawyers for "misleading" them, saying he had "not been truthful" about the relationship in "an effort to protect my ex-colleague"."
Having presented This Morning from 2002, Schofield added he was "painfully conscious" that he had "lied" to his employers at ITV as well as colleagues, friends, agents, the media, the public and "most importantly of all to my family".
In the lengthy apology, he added: "I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife."
On not naming his ex-colleague, he said: "To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so. I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected."
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