Richard Madeley has described Phillip Schofield’s sudden exit from ITV’s This Morning “brutal”.
Schofield, 61, quit both his role as host after more than two decades in May after admitting to having had an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a young male runner.
Madeley, 67, who previously presented the daytime programme with wife Judy from 1988 until 2001, has now weighed in on the drama and revealed he has been in touch with Schofield following his resignation.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “I feel very sorry for Phillip – it seemed a pretty savage outcome after 21 years [in the job]. It seemed quite brutal, to be honest.
“I took a paternal interest in it – I kept in touch, told him to take it easy and that it’ll be all right. He agreed. All things pass in the end.
“We’ve all been through terrible experiences and the worst ones are the phones that come out of a clear blue sky and you don’t see them coming, politicians say they’re only one debate away from a catastrophe and it’s the same in our industry.”
Since Schofield’s exit, his former co-star Holly Willoughby has been paired with a rotating roster of co-hosts.
Asked whether he would consider a return to the famous sofa himself, Madeley said that he had “enjoyed it, but would never go back”.
He will next be seen appearing on daughter Chloe Madeley’s reality TV show, A Family Affair, which will follow her first year as a mother to daughter Bodhi with husband James Haskell.
Meanwhile, Good Morning Britain host Ben Shephard is reportedly being eyed-up as a permanent replacement for Schofield after impressing show bosses when he recently co-hosted This Morning.
A source told the Mail Online: “Ben did really well and the bosses loved his partnership with Holly and there was great feedback from many viewers.
“Ben is known throughout ITV as being very popular with the audiences of whatever shows he hosts. He is also trusted by the public and is much loved within ITV. He has hosted so many shows for the channel.
“He and Holly go back years too – he presented on This Morning some years ago and they have a great rapport.”
