Phillip Schofield appeared to look “stressed” and “annoyed” as he was seen for the first time since Dancing On Ice returned to screens.
The star, 61, walked away from TV last year following his “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague. Since stepping down from all hosting duties, including Dancing On Ice, he has kept a relatively low profile.
Meanwhile former pal and co-star Holly Willoughby made her comeback for the ITV ice skating competition earlier this month alongside Phillip’s replacement, Stephen Mulhern. Like Phillip, Holly also quit This Morning last year.
READ MORE: Phillip Schofield ‘still bruised’ from This Morning fallout as Holly returns to TV
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But on Friday (January 26) Phillip was spotted out and about as he headed to a local shop. Dressed in a black puffer coat and blue jeans, he appeared in good spirits during the rare outing – but a body language expert thinks otherwise.
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Speaking to Daily Star, Inbaal Honigman revealed Phillip appeared “tense.” She said “His expression, before spotting the cameras, is very mildly annoyed. His eyebrows are lowered, brow furrowed and his mouth is turned downwards, staring quizzically to the side. There’s no particular expression of happiness.”
The expert then noted: “When he notices that he’s being photographed, he plasters on a wide smile, but it’s exaggerated.”
Inbaal also claimed that Phillip put on an “exaggerated attempt to look pleased.” She said: “Phillip’s smile is extremely broad, his cheeks rising so high that they’re almost obscuring his eyes, and his whole head leans backwards.”
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She added: “The reason it doesn’t appear to be totally genuine, is that the rest of his body language is defensive, not as laid back as a broad smile would suggest. When face and body are at odds like this, that’s a red flag that some dishonesty is at play.”
Inbaal then noted how when Phillip spotted the cameras his arm “tightened against his body, and he raised his hands in the air.” She went on: “The hand raise shows that he’s feeling tense, and the tightening of his arms is a comforting gesture that lets us know that he’s feeling defensive.”
While Phillip’s’ “self-hug” is an attempt to “self-soothe” said Inbaal. She explained: “This is something people normally do when they’re stressed.”
(Image: WireImage)
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It comes after it was reported that Phillip failed to watch former pal Holly on Dancing On Ice, as it returned to screens this month. A source close to Phillip said to The Sun that he would be “unlikely” to have tuned in as he still feels touchy on the entire debacle.
“Phil is still bruised by the whole Holly falling-out and the way it was played out publicly,” they said. Continuing on, they revealed: “He still can’t bring himself to watch This Morning and even listening to the theme tune is deeply triggering. It would seem unlikely he is avidly tuning in to watch Holly’s return to TV.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
