Phillip Schofield claims ITV sacked him over his brother's crimes and the 'bad publicity'

Phillip Schofield in Cast Away wearing a hat
-Credit: (Image: PA Media)


Former This Morning host Phillip Schofield has pointed the finger at his brother for his exit from ITV, claiming he was "fired for someone else's crime" In the final instalment of Channel 5's Phillip Schofield : Cast Away, the 62-year-old TV veteran also confessed he would "never in a million years" consider making a comeback to daytime television.

Phillip said on the new series that he had always been ""open and honest with everyone at work about what was happening" regarding his brother Timothy Schofield, who was jailed last year for a number sexual offences. The 54-year-old was found guilty in April 2023 of 11 sexual offences involving a minor between October 2016 and October 2019, including two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Phillip stepped down from his role on This Morning last year
Phillip claims he was sacked because of his brother's actions -Credit:ITV

On the new Channel 5 programme, Phillip stated that he refused "to name and refuse to acknowledge" his brother, and said he had "absolutely no qualms whatsoever in shopping" Timothy to police, who he said had "praised" him for getting "justice done".

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The presenter, originally from Oldham, said: "Even though they knew all of the facts the papers painted me out to be some sort of complicit agent. That was when my world started to collapse. My poor mum, had to tell her about that member of the family. To break that to your mother is tough."

"And I had to go through everything with the hierarchy at ITV. The full entire story so that they knew I hadn't done anything wrong. The full story. Everything came to a head the day before he was sentenced when my agent called."

He goes on to discuss the phone call that ultimately led to his departure from This Morning, which he'd presented for more than 20 years, working with Holly Willoughby for a large chunk of that time.

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock (13908192br)
Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby
'This Morning' TV show, London, UK - 11 May 2023
Phil and Holly worked side by side on This Morning for 14 years -Credit:Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock

“My phone rang and I picked it up, ‘mate, are you somewhere quiet’ which is never a good sign, ’I’ve got a bit of a shock, I’m afraid you’ve been let go from This Morning’. What? ‘Yeah that’s it, it’s done. You’re not going back on Monday’. What? because of what? ‘Think it’s the publicity, mate’, that’s got nothing to do with me, that has nothing to do with me.

“Why would I be sacked for something someone else did? I’ve just been fired because of him. Because I was becoming more of a story than the programme. It was better for the show, better for the channel. And I agreed to say that I’d resigned because it would be neater for everybody.

“I was always open and honest with everyone at work about what was happening with my brother. I was fired for the bad publicity, for someone else’s crime. And the thing is about a week later, I blew my own wheels off with everything else (his affair), because I thought the only way to even begin to put this right for everybody is to do a full mea culpa.”

After his departure from ITV, Phillip admitted to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague while he was still married to Stephanie Lowe, who remains his wife today, and denied any suggestions of grooming.

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Phillip has been sharing more details about his This Morning exit on his new Channel 5 show -Credit:PA

Phillip's claims that he was forced to leave This Morning contradict his earlier comments that he'd resigned willingly. In his statement issued on 20 May, 2023, he said he'd "agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect". He later expressed deep regret and said he was "so very, very sorry" for what had transpired. In the later statement, he said: "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. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife..."

An external review, led by Jane Mulcahy KC on behalf of ITV, found that the channel made "considerable efforts" to uncover the truth about an alleged affair between Phillip and a runner in 2019, but was unable to find any evidence to support the rumours.

Ms Mulcahy stated that during the period she reviewed, she found no evidence of a "toxic" culture at the channel. She encouraged the network to support junior employees who fear that speaking out could negatively affect their careers.

Towards the end of the Channel 5 show, an emotional Schofield revealed he was unsure if he would return to presenting. He said: "Now I'm not saying I'm done but you know, never in a million years will I go back to daytime telly. I've lived a hundred TV lives."

Phillip Schofield: Cast Away will air for three nights starting from Monday September 30, at 9pm on Channel 5, and will be available to stream on My5.