Phillip Schofield’s “patronage” of a younger male colleague he was having an affair with clearly assisted the man’s early career at ITV before he then “made his way on his own”, an independent KC-led investigation into the scandal has found.
The This Morning presenter quit after admitting that he had lied about an “unwise, but not illegal” affair, amid allegations that ITV bosses had turned a blind eye to his relationship with the co-worker, who was a runner on the show.
On Thursday, Jane Mulcahy KC, who interviewed 48 people for the review, said Schofield had “reluctantly declined” to take part because of “the risk to his health”, adding: “I am informed that PS’s mental health has since deteriorated.”
Despite claims that the relationship was a “open secret” at ITV, Mulcahy found that neither ITV management or This Morning’s senior staff knew about the affair until Schofield’s statement, while only one former junior employee said they had known, but they had not reported it.
The broadcaster had “made considerable efforts to determine the truth about an alleged relationship”, after a story was published in the Sun in early December 2019, but “in the face of the denials of the individuals involved, ITV was unable to uncover the relevant evidence until [Schofield’s] admission in late May 2023”, according to the report.
After the story broke in 2019 ITV had done “everything it could to help [the runner] and provided significant additional support to him, even in May 2023 despite his employment having ended”, the report stated.
There were allegations of a “toxic” environment at This Morning, but Mulcahy said that for the period under review she found no evidence to support the claims.
Mulcahy told the broadcaster it should set clear guidelines for “talent” to ensure “good behaviours are observed even by those who are household names”.
She added that she had “no doubt that senior management are absolutely wedded to the importance of an open culture”, but said this did not filter down to junior employees “many of whom remain convinced that to speak out will have a detrimental impact on their careers”.
ITV launched the independent review by Mulcahy in June to examine how the company had dealt with rumours relating to the relationship between Schofield and a This Morning runner, complaints by staff and whether ITV’s response was adequate.
Schofield stepped down in May, having presented This Morning for 21 years, after admitting to lying about an affair with the colleague while married to his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe. He had announced he was gay in February 2020.
News of the affair and Schofield’s resignation sent shock waves through the media. In June, ITV’s chief executive, Carolyn McCall, was questioned by MPs on the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee about the episode and the wider culture at the broadcaster.
She was asked about allegations by former presenters such as Piers Morgan and Eamonn Holmes that Schofield’s relationship had been known about throughout by the broadcaster but no action had been taken.
Schofield’s co-host Holly Willoughby left the show in October after 14 years. Since the longtime pair departed, a rotation of presenters has hosted the show including Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary, Josie Gibson, Craig Doyle, Rylan Clark and Emma Willis.
Andy Cosslett, ITV plc’s chair, welcomed the findings and recommendations of the review.
He said: “Our promise to those we work with is that where a complaint is made, or serious concerns raised, we will always investigate and if we find that something inappropriate has happened, we will take action.
“We will continue to develop our efforts to give junior colleagues the confidence to speak up if they have something to raise.
“I hope that the completion of this review allows the team at This Morning to get back to what they do so well – making a brilliant show that entertains and informs millions of viewers every week.”
