Phillip Schofield's daughter leaves the family home with several bags
Phillip Schofield’s daughter leaves his home with several bags after the axed This Morning host said he couldn’t watch the show as Holly Willoughby returned – and barely used his name when she addressed his ‘lies’
- Willoughby says it ‘feels very strange indeed’ to be on show without Schofield
Phillip Schofield’s oldest daughter looked resolute today as she left his home after a tearful Holly Willoughby returned to This Morning and immediately put the boot in.
Molly Schofield, 29, who has been by his side throughout the crisis, was carrying several bags outside the West London property. She works as a manager for YMU, a global talent agency who previously represented her father but have now cut all ties with him.
Today Ms Willoughby admitted she felt ‘shaken, troubled’ and ‘let down’ after her disgraced former co-host lied to her and ITV colleagues over his affair with a younger man who worked on the show.
Holly, 42, hugged co-host Josie Gibson and held her hand as she said it ‘feels very strange indeed’ to be on the show without Schofield, briefly calling him ‘Phil’ before moving on. And in a brutal put down she said that the This Morning team ‘gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth’.
She referenced his younger lover, who has left ITV where he was a successful studio runner and was last seen working in a pub, saying she was ‘worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on’.
Shortly afterwards Schofield’s daughter Molly was seen leaving his home with several bags. Last week in an interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Schofield confessed the fallout from his admission had been ‘relentless’ and had left him feeling suicidal. He said his two daughters Molly and Ruby ‘haven’t left me for a moment’ since news of the affair broke, claiming he ‘wouldn’t be here’ if it weren’t for them.
Phillip Schofield’s daughter Molly seen leaving his west London home today
Holly Willoughby tells This Morning viewers that she feels ‘shaken, troubled, let down and worried’ as she returned to the programme after the Phillip Schofield affair furore
Holly Willoughby and co-presenter Josie Gibson hold hands on This Morning today
Holly Willoughby appears emotional alongside co-presenter Josie Gibson and they share a hug
Schofield apologised to Holly Willoughby, who presented This Morning with him for 14 years, for lying about his secret relationship with his colleague (centre) and for tainting her public image
She also confirmed that she wanted to stay on the show amid rumours that her role could be under threat.
‘I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other. And from my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning,’ she said.
Holly Willoughby’s full statement on This Morning
‘Hi there, good morning. Josie, thank you for being here. Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil. And I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have.
‘Shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on and full of questions.
‘You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved.
‘That is a lot to process. And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone.
‘I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other. And from my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning.
‘Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love.’
‘Myself, Josie, Dermot [O’Leary], Alison [Hammond], Craig [Doyle], and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you that, this show that we love.’
Ms Willoughby was said to be nervous ahead of the show and she opened it with a statement she wrote herself.
Wearing white, Ms Willoughby clutched Josie’s hand and said: ‘Josie, thank you for being here. Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil. And I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have.
‘Shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on and full of questions.
‘You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved.
‘That is a lot to process. And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone.’
She was returning after a two-week break following her former co-host’s departure and his subsequent revelation of an affair with a younger ITV male employee.
Willoughby and This Morning editor Martin Frizell were earlier photographed arriving separately at Television Centre in White City.
It comes after Schofield said he ‘didn’t tell anybody’ about his affair with his former This Morning colleague, confirming in an interview with the BBC that Ms Willoughby ‘did not know’.
Similarly, in his interview with the Sun, the 61-year-old presenter apologised to Ms Willoughby for lying to her about his relationship, saying: ‘I’ve lost my best friend.’
He added: ‘I let her down. I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down.
‘Holly did not know and she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say: “I am so, so sorry that I lied to you”.
‘She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply as well. So, yeah, if anyone is in any way linking Holly to this, that is absolutely, wholly untrue.’
The duo, had presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted Dancing On Ice.
Ms Willoughby’s return comes as the ITV show has been plagued by allegations of ‘toxicity’, including from former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who has alleged there was a ‘total cover-up’ over the Schofield affair.
The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, also hit out at a ‘toxic’ culture, saying he raised concerns about ‘bullying and discrimination’ two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was ‘managed out’ for whistleblowing.
Holly Willoughby appears in a videolink on Lorraine today before the show with Josie Gibson
Holly Willoughby arrives to film This Morning at Television Centre in White City this morning
Phillip Schofield speaks to the BBC’s Amol Rajan last week about his affair
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on the sofa of ITV’s This Morning last month
Phillip Schofield with his wife Stephanie Lowe and daughters Molly and Ruby in 2018
In a letter from ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall to Parliament on Wednesday, she said an external review conducted following a complaint made by Dr Ranj found ‘no evidence of bullying or discrimination’.
Meanwhile, former This Morning head of news Emily Maddick, who worked on the show from September to December 2019, claimed she quit the programme due to ‘bullying, sexism and a toxic culture of fear and intimidation’.
On Saturday, This Morning editor Frizell told a Sky News reporter to ‘read between the lines’ amid claims of toxicity, adding: ‘I think there’s some scores being settled.’
Dame Carolyn has been called to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling following Schofield’s exit.
Last week, she confirmed the broadcaster had instructed barrister Jane Mulcahy KC of Blackstone Chambers to carry out an external review of the facts.
Friends of Schofield, who has spent time with his mother Pat in Cornwall, say he wouldn’t tune in to watch Ms Willoughby return to the This Morning sofa today as it would be too ‘triggering’ for him. Schofield has said he has been left suicidal over his fall from grace.
Phillip Schofield was pictured embracing his mother Pat in Newquay, Cornwall, moments after being told bosses at ITV wanted him to leave This Morning
Ms Willoughby, who took a two-week break from the show after news of Schofield’s affair and subsequent lies broke, addressed the departure of her former co-star today
Frizell told Sky News that he had not presided over a toxic culture. ‘I think you have got to read between the lines, I think some scores are being settled,’ he said.
READ MORE HERE: Holly Willoughby is ‘determined to steer the show through these unprecedented times’ as she returns to the sofa to address the Schofield scandal
Lorraine Heggessey, a former BBC1 controller, said: They’re all under the spotlight. They’ve lost a friend or colleague, and the whole ethos of the programme is under pressure. It’s very tricky.’
A friend of Schofield’s told The Sun: ‘His family is being incredibly careful not to have the TV on when he’s in the room to ensure he doesn’t see anything.
‘Of course he is aware Holly is back on air today and he absolutely wanted her to shine, and smash it.
‘But he physically could not watch – he is not there yet.’
Even though she is not speaking to him any more, Schofield does support Holly and wants her to ‘shine and smash it’, insiders told The Sun.
Schofield has been supported by his family since his sacking, with photos emerging showing the moment he embraced his elderly mother after he was sacked from the show.
He was seen hugging Pat, 87, on a bench overlooking the sea in Newquay, Cornwal.
Schofield and his mother had driven from her home to their favourite fish and chip shop before heading out to Pentire Headland where they looked out over the sea.
The presenter, who had hosted This Morning since 2002, had been in the seaside town to support his mother as his brother, Timothy, was being sentenced for sex offences against a teenage boy.
The same day her youngest son was jailed for 12 years, Pat was told by her eldest child that he was losing his job.
While getting fish and chips with his mother, Phillip received a phone call from his manager telling him bosses at the channel wanted him to leave the show.
In an interview with the Sun last week, he said: ‘I had to go down to Cornwall to be with her for the sentencing.
The presenter, who had hosted This Morning since 2002, had been in the seaside town to support his mother as his brother, Timothy, was being sentenced for sex offences against a teenage boy
Schofield had presented the programme since 2002
‘And our family thing was always to buy fish and chips and go and sit on the headland.
‘I picked my mum up and she went in to get the fish and chips — and while she was getting them, my phone rang.
‘It was my then manager saying, “Mate, I am so sorry, it has become too loud for ITV. You will have to step down from This Morning”.
‘And she arrived in the car. She said to me before I arrived, “You’re not coming down with any bad news are you?”.
‘She sat in the car and she was all happy to see me, and then she said, “Oh, your face has changed”.
I said, “Let’s go on to the headland”. And I had to tell her.’
The furore which has surrounded Schofield has threatened to engulf This Morning, with ITV getting set to introduce ‘heavy vetting’ of public callers to protect presenters from outbursts over the scandal.
Production staff will screen callers, as audience interaction segments are to be paused to avoid any abuse being sent to presenters.
Ms Willougby posted a snap of the ‘Strawberry Moon’ on her wellness page Wylde Moon page alongside words urging others to ‘maintain a positive perspective’
Schofield first met the man he later had a sexual relationship with, then aged 15, when he was invited to open a drama school
It was also reported today that MMs Willoughby is being courted by BBC bosses as they look to lure her away from ITV.
Yesterday she posted about the ‘Strawberry Moon’ on her wellness page, writing: ‘This Full “Strawberry” Moon in Sagittarius brings with it a zest for life.
‘The guiding influence of this fire sign combined with Jupiter encourages you to maintain a positive perspective and to tune into your finest qualities.
‘Inspire. Renew. Believe.’
In an interview last week Schofield said he believed his career was ‘over’ and he had ‘lost everything’ after admitting he had lied about his relationship with the man.
‘I have to talk about television in the past tense, which breaks my heart,’ he told the BBC. ‘What am I going to do with my days? I see nothing ahead of me but blackness, sadness regret, remorse and guilt. I did something very wrong, and then I lied about it consistently.’
READ MORE HERE: The lie got too big for both of us, says crestfallen Phillip Schofield in an interview laying bare his torment
He said the criticism he’s faced since admitting the affair has had a ‘catastrophic effect’, adding: ‘Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am. I have lost everything.’
In the interviews, Schofield, who was also dropped by his talent agency YMU after his admission to the Mail about the ‘unwise but not illegal relationship’, said he was ‘utterly broken and ashamed’.
Schofield told the BBC that the young man, who worked as a runner for a short period on This Morning, was 20 when he first had any kind of sexual contact with him.
He told The Sun they had become friends but in 2017 – three years before he came out as gay a – ‘something happened that just changed it’.
There was ‘a consensual moment’ in Schofield’s dressing room after a show and ‘it was mutual’.
He said he did not have a ‘love affair’ with the man and that ‘it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends, we were mates’.
He added: ‘I was really struggling with my sexuality at that time in the build up to what happened.’ The pair had ‘five or six romantic encounters’ over a period of around six months.
He said they met at Schofield’s apartment in south-east London only once after he phoned the young man to invite him over for a beer.
He also denied using ITV money to pay for taxis for the man, saying: ‘I don’t have an ITV account.’
Schofield said he had ‘no excuse’ for what happened, adding: ‘No one did anything wrong apart from me… I was unprofessional, one time, in a 41-year career.’
He added that he and the young man ‘stupidly’ thought that ‘nobody knew’ about them.
ITV said the man was 19 when he did work experience at This Morning in 2015, and 20 when he applied and secured a job as a runner on the show.
He later moved to Loose Women in 2019 and left ITV in 2021.
Schofield said telling his wife Stephanie Lowe about his affair ‘was the most difficult conversation I’ve ever had to have with her’
Schofield told The Sun that he and Willoughby have broken all contact, and said it was his paedophile brother’s imprisonment that made her distance herself from the friendship.
READ MORE HERE: EXCLUSIVE As Holly Willoughby flies back into the storm after Phillip Schofield’s shocking interviews over his younger lover, this is why there’s NO WAY she’ll be forced out if her ITV bosses stay put
He told the BBC, when asked who on the This Morning team knew about his affair: ‘To my knowledge, I mean, somebody has to know something for there to be a rumour later on. I didn’t believe that anybody knew.’
The TV presenter has praised his daughters Molly, 29, and Ruby, 27, for ‘guarding him’ as he struggles to cope with the fallout from the affair.
He told the BBC: ‘Last week if my daughters hadn’t been there then I wouldn’t be here. And they’ve guarded me and won’t let me out of their sight, it’s like a weird numbness.
‘I know that’s a selfish point of view. But you come to a point where you just think, how much are you supposed to take?’
He also said telling his wife Stephanie Lowe about his affair ‘was the most difficult conversation I’ve ever had to have with her’.
He added: ‘She is extremely disappointed because I lied to her as well.’
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