Phillip Schofield continues to make headlines after stepping down from his ITV hosting duties - including This Morning - and confirming he had an affair with a younger colleague. Prior to leaving the show on May 20, following 20 years of presenting it, the 61-year-old faced a string of controversies.
It had been vastly reported that there was a feud going on between him and his long-time co-host Holly Willoughby. Meanwhile, his brother, Timothy Schofield had been put on trial for sex abuse and just September last year, he was criticised by many over his visit to the late Queen’s lying in state.
After handing in his resignation, Schofield revealed that an “unwise but not illegal” affair began while he was still with his wife. He then went on to confirm he will not be presenting this year's British Soap Awards - his last public commitment.
Shortly after admitting the affair, he was dropped by his talent agency YMU and on Tuesday, he had been stripped of his Prince’s Trust. ambassador role. So what happens next for Schofield and This Morning?
Below is a look at all there is to know so far and what could happen next for the presenter.
READ MORE: Phillip Schofield AND Holly Willoughby are removed from This Morning's social media
Who is making allegations about the show being toxic?
Several media figures and ex-employees of This Morning, such as Eamonn Holmes and Dr Ranj Singh have made allegations following Schofield’s resignation. Holmes, who left the show in December 2021, said he was "tossed out the door" when ITV bosses decided it was time to cut him loose.
While hosting GB News on Monday, he claimed Schofield “created an atmosphere” on This Morning “where people hated him”. On Sunday, the daytime talk show's resident health expert, Dr Singh, broke his silence regarding This Morning, Phillip Schofield and the reason he is no longer on the ITV show.
Taking to Twitter he posted that two years ago he voiced concerns about “bullying and discrimination” when he worked on the programme. He added that afterwards he felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
He did not reference Schofield and was making the allegations against the programme. Schofield has since hit back at critics, without naming them, but said there was “no toxicity” on This Morning. "I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice," he wrote.
Who is currently presenting This Morning?
The likes of Craig Doyle., Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond, who take over hosting duties during holidays and on Fridays, have been among those presenting the show. Holly Willoughby is scheduled to come back to the show next Monday after the half-term break.
What has ITV said?
After news emerged of Schofield's This Morning resignation, ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment, Kevin Lygo, described the 61-year-old as “hands down one of the best broadcasters of his generation”. He went on to thank him for “terrific” TV and “looked forward” to working with him again.
When Schofield then confirmed rumours of an affair he had with an employee of the show were true, ITV stated that in early 2020, it had investigated the rumours but “both parties… categorically and repeatedly denied” them.
In a statement, ITV added: “Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship.”
On Monday, Mr Lygo made an appearance on GB News, where he was asked if there had been a cover-up of Schofield’s affair with a young male colleague. However he said: “We really have no more to say.”
Over the weekend, Sky News asked if any mistakes had been made at ITV, to which Mr Lygo replied: "No".
Will Schofield’s career recover?
Speaking to PA News Agency, Jonathan Shalit, chairman of the talent agency InterTalent, said: “I am certainly not going to defend Phillip Schofield, but people do come back, and I think we must quantify this. That power to many is often pretty scary, intimidating, and many people don't feel comfortable challenging big well-known talent when they step out of line.
"He has crossed the line of morality but hasn’t broken the law. That’s not to defend the way he’s behaved… and there are plenty of people (who) get rehabilitated.
"So, I think if I was Phillip Schofield today, I wouldn’t be going, ‘My life’s over’. I’d be going, ‘Oh my God, I’ve completely imploded an amazing career and I am going to have to sort of make penance and spend a few years, take an honest look at myself and show people I’m genuinely a reformed character’."
What are the next steps?
Mr Shalit added that the next steps for ITV "aren’t that difficult". He continued: "As the stock market has shown, ITV remains strong. All they must do is find out, did anyone know it was going on, and if so, who lied, and then discipline that person or fire them, whatever is appropriate.
“In terms of understanding why this might have happened, it is important to remember people are often scared of big-name talent. That power to many is often pretty scary, intimidating, and many people don’t feel comfortable challenging big well-known talent when they step out of line. This is not a comfortable reality, but often sadly true."
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