BBC journalist Amol Rajan has given behind-the-scenes details about the broadcaster’s interview with Phillip Schofield.
Schofield, the former host of ITV talk show This Morning, was interviewed by Rajan for BBC News, amid a media frenzy over revelations of an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a much younger ITV employee. He has admitted to lying about the affair, and was dropped by his management team.
In the BBC interview, a visibly frayed Schofield, 61, said that his career in TV was over after the scandal, which prompted him to resign from ITV.
Speaking to Rajan, he denied the suggestion that he had “groomed” the unnamed ITV runner, whom he met at the age of 15. Schofield and the other party did not become sexually involved until five years later, when he was 20.
In an article on BBC News, Rajan wrote: “[Applying journalistic scrutiny to Schofield] was made significantly more delicate by his clearly very highly charged emotional state. As Tony Dolce, one of our two camera operators (along with Tony Jolliffe) observed afterwards, Schofield’s hands were shaking through much of the interview.
“Before we began, after we finished, and during the two short breaks in filming, he instinctively reached for a small green vape, from which he took long drags.”
During the interview, Schofield suggested that he had experienced suicidal thoughts, stating that his daughters had “saved his life” by looking after him in the aftermath of the scandal, and had been “scared to let me out of their sight”.
“Schofield, whom I had never met, mentioned suicide within moments of our acquaintance, and repeatedly during the interview,” Rajan wrote.
“When an interviewee presents themselves in this way, there is a tension between a duty of care to the individual and a duty of care to the truth. Hard questions still need to be asked, not least because this is not primarily a story about celebrity tittle tattle, or idle gossip about ITV’s star talent.”
In the interview, Schofield also said that the reaction to the scandal had been intensified by homophobia, and claimed that he had no involvement in the young runner moving to another ITV show following their affair.
He also recalled the message he had sent to former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby after news of the affair broke.
Amid the scandal, ITV has ordered a review into Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning. ITV bosses have also faced questions from MPs.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
