British Host Phillip Schofield Gives First Interview Since Exit, Explains How Relationship Started with Male Staffer

Phillip Schofield is speaking out in his first interview since exiting as a host of ITV’s This Morning.

The 61-year-old British TV presenter, who came out publicly as gay in 2020, previously admitted that he had a relationship with a younger male staff member while still married to his wife.

While speaking with The Sun, Phillip explained how the relationship started and denied that he groomed the young man.

Keep reading to find out more…

Phillip said that he became friends with the man after working together for a short period.

“Then one day something happened that just changed it. That is the moment I look back on, and regret so deeply. It was in my dressing room in 2017, it was a consensual moment, it was mutual. It was not a love affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates. It wasn’t feelings (I was getting), it was more like mates: excitement,” he said.

Phillip continued, “I was really struggling with my sexuality at that time in the build up to what happened. But over a period of time it happened maybe five or six times. We just didn’t think anyone knew, there was no lying, we thought, stupidly, that nobody knew. You look at yourself. I was unprofessional, one time, in a 41-year career. I know I did that. And there is no excuse. I won’t put forward an excuse. No one did anything wrong apart from me.”

Phillip has admitted to meeting the man when he was a teenager, but says the relationship didn’t happen until years later when they worked together.

“I did not, I did not (groom him),” Phillip said. “There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way (an abuse of power) because we’d become mates. I don’t know about that. But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that anywhere else. I assume somebody, somewhere, assumed something was going on, correctly, and didn’t say anything… I didn’t lie to protect my career, he didn’t want his name in public. He wanted his own life. The lies grew bigger and bigger and bigger. It was affecting both of us deeply. It got to the stage where it was out of control and for whatever cost, it had to stop. I have massive guilt, and regret. I’ve made a mistake, I’ve had an affair at work.”

Phillip also sent a public apology to the young man.

“I think my greatest apology must go to him. It has brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life, his totally innocent family, his totally innocent friends. It has brought the greatest grief to them,” Phillip said. “I haven’t spoken to him since this s**t show kicked off, but when this was all beginning to get out of control, I paid for his lawyers to independently work on his behalf. I am deeply sorry and I apologize to him because I should have known better. I should have acted the way I have always acted. I should not have done it. I’m sorry. And I will forever be sorry. I will die sorry. I am so deeply mortified.”

Read what he said when he came out back in 2020.