The sex scandal that took down a TV presenter and shocked the UK

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Phillip Schofield, 61, presenter of ITV’s This Morning, confessed to having an affair with a younger employee and lying about the affair. Phillip Schofield, 61, presenter of the morning show This Morning, on ITV, confessed to having an affair with a younger employee PA MEDIA via the BBC A sex scandal brought down one of the main British TV presenters, considered the “king of mornings”, and shocked the UK. The revelation that Phillip Schofield, 61, presenter of ITV’s This Morning, had an affair with a younger employee and lied to cover it up has dominated the country’s headlines in recent days, and sparked criticism over the working environment in the program. In a statement, Schofield announced that he left ITV “with immediate effect” last week. According to him, the relationship with his younger colleague was “reckless, but not illegal”. Speaking to the Daily Mail tabloid, Schofield said: “Contrary to popular belief, although I met the man when he was a teenager and was called upon to help him break into television, it wasn’t until he started working on program that became more than just a friendship.” He apologized for lying to colleagues, employers, the media and the public. Lawyers representing Schofield confirmed to the BBC that the two met when the other person was 15, but stressed that there was no sexual relationship until he started working on This Morning. He was 18 when he entered the program. An ITV spokesman said he was “deeply disappointed by the confessions” made by Schofield and confirmed that the broadcaster had severed all ties with the presenter. Schofield had stepped down as host of This Morning two weeks ago following reports of a falling out with co-host Holly Willoughby. He, however, continued to be hired by the broadcaster until his resignation after confessing to the affair with the youngest employee. Despite this, Schofield claimed that his departure from the program is unrelated to the affair with his colleague. Coming out of the closet Phillip Schofield, British TV presenter Playback/Instagram The TV presenter was still married to his wife Stephanie Lowe at the time of the relationship. They broke up in 2020 after Schofield announced that he was gay. Schofield said he was “very, very sorry” for being unfaithful to his wife and for lying to his colleagues, agents, employers, friends, the media and the public. The TV presenter said he would reflect on his “very poor judgment in both participating in the relationship and lying about it”. An ITV spokesman said: “The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Phillip gave us assurances which he now recognizes were false and we feel very disappointed.” The presenter’s confession comes amid huge speculation on social media over several months about his personal relationships. Talent agency YMU also severed ties with Schofield following his announcement about the case. In a statement to the BBC, the TV presenter said: “It is with the deepest regret that, after 35 years of being managed by YMU, I have agreed to withdraw from being represented by them with immediate effect.” Other British TV personalities have suggested that ITV has questions to answer about how much it knew about the relationship and what steps it had taken. In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries said: “How did that young man get a job at ITV – what were the processes involved and what were the safeguards processes that were in place for someone who was so young? ” Rumors For several years, rumors had been circulating about the nature of Schofield’s relationship with the younger employee. The presenter came out as gay live in February 2020. By this time, the young man had already left This Morning and was working on another ITV show. ITV says the case was “categorically denied” by both parties during a 2020 investigation, and no evidence beyond “hearsay” was found. Earlier this year, Schofield’s brother Timothy was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing a young boy. End of program? Schofield has hosted This Morning since 2002, with Willoughby joining him as co-host in 2009. Willoughby is on holiday but is expected to return to the show next Monday, June 5th. In a statement on social media, she says she has distanced herself from her former co-star and friend, commenting that it was “very painful” to find out that Schofield lied about the relationship. This Morning’s main sponsor, a used car sales company, has announced that it will not renew the multimillion-dollar contract. Other companies are also fearful of associating their brands with the program. According to the Daily Mail tabloid, personalities would also be refusing invitations to participate in the program. Amid doubts over whether This Morning will survive the crisis, ITV has for the time being denied any plans to pull the show off the air.

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