After more than 20 years as a beloved fixture This Morning, Phillip Schofield has bowed out, following what he's described as a "very difficult last few days".
In a statement, Phil announced that he has "agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future".
Phil won the nation's hearts when he first joined This Morning in 2002 and went on to bring viewers countless phenomenal TV moments, including the brave moment he came out to the world.
Fans loved catching up with Phil and co-presenter Holly Willoughby, tuning in as the well-liked duo interviewed guests and discussed topical issues from Monday to Thursday. His final show will air Thursday, May 18.
As Phil moves on to pastures new, here are ten of his best This Morning moments.
Coming out
In February 2020, Phil marked one of the most powerful moments in his career, when he shared with the world that he was gay.
The emotional presenter broke down, with Holly by his side, bravely sharing his story which no doubt helped many people up and down the country.
NTA all-nighter
In 2016, Phil and Holly went a little hard after their NTA win and ended up appearing on the This Morning sofa wearing last night’s clobber having been up all night boozing with Ant and Dec, much to the amusement of viewers.
The charming pair, a little worse for wear, giggled their way through the show like pros, despite Holly having mint sauce all over her dress.
80-year-old Iris’s confession
This Morning plays host to a wide range of guests, but none stand out more than Iris.
The 80-year-old grandmother, who visited the studio in 2020, to talk about her Egyptian toyboy Mohammed, 35. Phil could be seen exploding with awkward laughter when the octogenarian admits she used “a whole tube of KY Jelly” during the pair’s night of passion.
Katie Hopkins comeback
The hit show is also a platform for debate, and when rent-a-gob Katie Hopkins visits the studio it can get heated.
However, the former Apprentice star was taken to task by Phil when she outrageously claimed she keeps her kids away from children with “lower class names” including those based on geographical locations.
To this Phil clapped back: “Isn’t your child called India?!”
Flat earthers
As a professional, Phil often had to keep a straight face when hearing guests’ outlandish views.
In 2020 the host was faced with Mark Sargent, who adamantly believes the earth is flat.
Biting his tongue, Phil politely asked:“I’ve been lucky enough to have flown on Concord and saw the curvature of the Earth. Are you saying that wasn’t real?”
Pandemic reunion
The coronavirus pandemic meant that people across the globe couldn’t hug their loved ones, so when Phil was finally able to hug Holly on camera earlier this year it was an emotional feat.
The duo had been social distancing on set for many months, and when they embraced Holly admitted, “This feels nice.”
Hottest Chip
Working on This Morning isn’t always fun and games, sometimes it can be very uncomfortable as Phil showed back in 2016 when he tried the world’s hottest chip.
Red-eyed Phil began to weep and gasp for air after eating the spicy treat, crying: “It’s really, really bad! It’s like there is a burning fire in my mouth, my tongue feels like it’s out of Stranger Things.”
Charmer
Phil has tackled some big topics during his time on the show, not least his famous interview with Chelsea Charms in 2011 who had the largest breasts in the world.
The host even had to demonstrate how heavy the 35-year-old’s chest was, lifting buckets weighted with watermelons - all in a day’s work!
Phil and Holly
A fan-favourite moment of the show happened in 2016 when, after poking fun at Phil for having a “clam stuck in his throat”, Holly makes a strange-sounding noise amidst a laugh.
The two burst into hysterics, so the This Morning team played the same noise on repeat for them on air. Neither host could bring themselves to stop laughing for a full two minutes!
Phil attacked by alpacas
In 2020, a pair of alpacas called Pete and Spitfire visited the studio. However, the animals didn’t give the veteran TV host the respect he deserved with Pete actually spitting directly at Phil.
The rest of the segment is done in poorly-concealed apprehension, as the guilty alpaca takes a curious look around the studio, pushing around Phil as it does so. Giving credit when it is due, though, Phil laughs it all off even as Pete tries to spit at him again!
