Schofield admits wife was 'very, very angry' when he told of affair

Phillip Schofield admits his wife Stephanie was ‘very, very angry’ when he told her of his affair having lied and insisted lover was ‘just a friend and colleague’ – and ‘only told his eldest daughter about affair minutes before deception was made public’

• Friends say wife Stephanie Lowe knew nothing about Phillip Schofield’s affair
• He has said his wife was ‘very, very angry’ when she told him about it
• His daughter only found out about his bombshell statement minutes before  

Phillip Schofield has admitted his wife was ‘very, very angry’ when he confessed to her about his affair after he had lied and insisted his younger lover was just a friend and colleague.

Stephanie Lowe, the mother of the presenter’s two grown-up daughters, had no idea he was in a relationship because Schofield previously denied rumours about the affair to her when she had asked, calling them ‘b*****ks’.

Talking about how his wife learned about the affair, Schofield told the Sun: ‘She got off a plane and I phoned her up and texted saying, “I need to talk to you”.

‘She called back and I told her. She was very, very angry.’

It can also be revealed that the former This Morning star’s eldest daughter Molly only found out about her father’s statement to the Daily Mail in which he admitted lying over the relationship with the man just minutes before the story broke.

Phillip Schofield’s loyal wife has been left both furious and devastated by his admission that he had an affair with a much younger colleague during their marriage. Above: Philip Schofield and his wife Stephanie Lowe are seen with their daughters Ruby and Molly at the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018

Schofield is seen with his lover and Holly Willoughby, his former co-presenter on This Morning 

Friends say that she was at work at YMU, the talent agency that represented Schofield for 35 years, when she found out. 

READ MORE: Phillip Schofield says his ‘greatest apology’ over the fallout of his affair was to his former lover 

Staff there say she was in such shock she had to be comforted before going home.

Miss Schofield, 27, is then thought to have travelled to Cornwall to join her father after he fled London following his announcement that he was quitting This Morning almost two weeks ago.

Schofield, 61, was today pictured arriving at his West London home following the break alongside his youngest daughter Ruby as the future of the show he presented for 21 years hangs in the balance amid claims of toxicity and bullying behind the scenes.

It is the first time he has been seen since photographs emerged of him with his mother Pat the day his brother Timothy was sentenced to 12 years in prison for 11 convictions of child sex abuse.

Until last month, Schofield and his wife were close and in April even attended television star Leigh Francis’s 50th birthday party together. 

The presenter has even been wearing his wedding ring despite coming out as gay more than three years ago.

However, a source told the Mail: ‘Steph is absolutely devastated, she had no idea of any of this. She is a trusting woman who has supported Phil for many, many years so this has been a real shock to her.

‘Phil always positioned the man as a friend so that has prompted a fair bit of anger, to put it mildly. 

‘It is literally the most heartbreaking thing that could have happened to Steph, it isn’t just the relationship but the deceit.’

Friends say that Stephanie Lowe (pictured), the mother of the presenter’s two grown-up daughters, had no idea he was in a relationship because Schofield had always described the man as a friend and colleague

Schofield with his wife Stephanie and their daughters Ruby and Molly

Until last month, Schofield and his wife were close. Above the pair at the English National Opera in 2019

Friends of Schofield’s say that he was being supported by his daughters following his confession that he had lied to The Mail on Sunday about his relationship with the man. 

Phillip Schofield is seen for the first time since affair confession: Ex-This Morning presenter is pictured with daughter as it emerges he and Holly Willoughby are set to be quizzed over scandal by lawyer who ‘will talk to anyone she considers relevant’ 

There was no mention made of Ms Lowe, 59, being with him.

Earlier this week, Eamonn Holmes claimed that Schofield and the much younger colleague would have ‘playtime Thursdays’ and that the host would get him taxis from his central London flat to the This Morning studios.

In his grovelling apology last Friday, Schofield confirmed that he had lied to his wife and profusely apologised to her.

He said he was ‘painfully conscious’ that he lied to many people, ‘most importantly of all to my family’, adding: ‘I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife’.

The couple married in March 1993 after meeting when Schofield worked in children’s television and she was a BBC production assistant.

In February 2020, the presenter told his Instagram followers about his sexuality, saying he had the support of his wife and daughters.

‘You never know what’s going on in someone’s seemingly perfect life, what issues they are struggling with, or the state of their wellbeing – and so you won’t know what has been consuming me for the last few years.

‘With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay.’

He said: ‘[There were] lots and lots of hours talking to Steph and hugging Steph. We talked the whole thing through. There were no secrets, there have never been any secrets. What I knew, she knew. It’s not in my nature to hurt people.’ 

Phillip Schofield is seen today in London for the first time since quitting ITV and This Morning 

Schofield leaves The Ivy Club with his much younger ex-lover back in 2017

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby during a live whisky tasting on This Morning.  The young man he had an affair with is behind him dressed as an elf 

Phillip on the set of This Morning shaking hands with the man he had an affair with

Meanwhile, ITV bosses are said to be ‘petrified’ of what is to come out in the external investigation they announced on Wednesday which will be conducted by top London barrister Jane Mulcahy KC.

One senior boss at the channel said that Schofield’s relationship with his former colleague was just ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

They are also said to fear what the public make of the age gap between the men which is in excess of 30 years. They are also deeply worried that Schofield’s lover will speak out about the romance.

A source told the Mail: ‘There are so many things that went on and they simply must have been documented so there will be a paper trail.

‘There are a lot of people who are very, very worried.’

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