hillip Schofield has announced he is quitting ITV with immediate effect as he admitted having an affair with a “younger male colleague” and then lying about it to his bosses.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, the ex-This Morning presenter, 61, admitted an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with the man while he was still married to his wife of 30 years.
He said: “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.”
He said he had lied to ITV about the relationship with the ex-colleague and that he would be resigning from the broadcaster with immediate effect.
Schofield said he had never issued an injuction about the relationship and that the person was never moved on or sacked from This Morning because of it.
“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,” he told the paper.
“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.”
His agent YMU group said it had parted ways with Schofield after it learned “important new information” about the media personality which contradicted what the star had previously told them.
His recent departure from This Morning came amid reports of a rift between Schofield and co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
In a statement on Thursday, CEO of YMU Group, Mary Bekhait, 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.”
In a statement through a lawyer, Schofield said: “It is with the most profound regret that after 35 years of being faultlessly managed by YMU I have agreed to step down from their representation with immediate effect.”
Schofield, who had co-presented This Morning with Willoughby since 2009, said last week he decided to leave the show because it had “become the story”.
He said in last week’s statement: “Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind.
“I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.
“So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.”
