Phillip Schofield has admitted having what he describes as an 'unwise but not illegal' 'affair with a young This Morning crew member, with his confession coming a week after his controversial exit from the show.
In a statement released to the Daily Mail on Friday evening, Phillip admitted lying to the press and his own lawyer about the relationship, with the presenter saying: "The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning. 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 also claims that his very public coming out in early 2020 was entirely his choice and he wasn't 'forced' out, adding that there has never been, to his knowledge, any injunction preventing details of the relationship being made public and that the crew member in question was never sacked or made to feel that he had to leave This Morning because of the affair.
Phillip continued: "...my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.
'I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife."
Phillip also confirmed he will no longer be hosting this year's British Soap Awards and added: "I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.
'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."
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