Phillip Schofield admits lying about affair with young ITV This Morning employee

Phillip Schofield has resigned from ITV with immediate effect after admitting that he lied about having an affair with “a younger male colleague” at This Morning while he was still married.

In a statement released through the Daily Mail, the presenter apologised to his colleagues and the media for lying about the relationship.

He said that while the affair was “unwise” it was “not illegal”.

The 61-year-old also confirmed he will not present next month’s British Soap Awards.

ITV said it feels “badly let down” by Schofield.

The relationship with the ITV employee took place before Schofield publicly came out as gay on This Morning in 2020.

At the time he had been married to his wife Stephanie Lowe since 1993.

In a statement, he said: “The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them (the Daily Mail), and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning.

“I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.

“Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship.

“That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.”

The presenter added: “I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public, and most importantly of all to my family.

“I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”

The TV presenter left his role at This Morning last week amid reports of a rift with his costar Holly Willoughby.

He had presented the show for more than 20 years.

Willoughby will continue on in her role but has taken early half-term holiday leave.

An ITV Spokesperson said: “We are deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit made tonight by Phillip Schofield.

The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Philip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down.

“We accept his resignation from ITV and therefore can confirm that he will not be appearing on ITV as had previously been stated.”

The veteran broadcaster insisted he was not “forced out” of the show, saying he quit so for his own wellbeing.

Schofield was also let go by his agent, who said they had severed ties with the presenter with immediate effect as of Thursday.

Mary Bekhait, the group CEO of YMU Group, said: “Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do.

“Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust.

“This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield.

“These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisors we had brought in to support him.

“As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect.”

Phillip Schofield’s statement in full

“I am making this statement via the Daily Mail to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story which they wanted to write about me a few days ago.

“The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning.

“I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.

“That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.

“When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody ‘forced’ me out.

“Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me.

“In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship.

“But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.

“I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family.

“I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.

“I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.

“I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.

“To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so.

“I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected.”