Phillip Schofield scandals as he makes TV return – age-gap affair to ‘Queuegate’

Phillip Schofield is days away from being back on television.

Once the golden guy of ITV, Schofe sensationally quit the channel in May 2023 after a bombshell revelation of an affair with a young former colleague while married to Stephanie Lowe. The veteran presenter dropped bomb as he stepped back from his ITV roles with immediate effect following the scandalous exposure.

In the months that followed, the 62-year-old kept a low profile, only updating fans every now and again on Instagram. But this week news broke that he would be making his return to television.

READ MORE: Phillip Schofield’s dramatic return to TV after he’s pictured in Channel 5 trailer

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He will appear on a bombshell Channel 5 series, Cast Away. The show, which promises to be raw and full of emotion, will see Schofe deserted on a remote island for 10 days, fending for himself as he talks through his difficult few years.

So, as Phillip prepares for his television comeback, Daily Star takes a look at the moments that led to his downfall.

Queue-gate

Back in September 2022, Phil and his co-host at the time, Holly Willoughby, caused a public uproar when they were accused of skipping the queue to see the Queen lying in state for a This Morning segment.

While celebs like David Beckham and Susanna Reid waited their turn for hours, it was alleged that Holly, 43, and Phil had bypassed the lengthy wait for the Royal viewing.

The incident sparked a petition demanding their removal from This Morning, which quickly gathered more than 78,000 signatures. This Morning was in no mood for mea culpas when GB News came knocking, with producer Ben Leo claiming the daytime telly fave didn’t film inside Westminster.

On the show, Holly addressed the kerfuffle, saying: “The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast, those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause

“None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone’s place in the queue and no one filed past the Queen.”

Brother’s trial

Timothy Schofield, the brother of telly stalwart Phil, was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy over three years.

Timothy, a civil servant from Bath, was given a 12-year prison stretch in May 2023. He stood accused of a string of 11 sex offences which kicked off in October 2016 when the boy was just a teen.

Post-trial, the ex-ITV star declared: “As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother. My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family.

“If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family. These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts.”

Phil and Holly’s ‘feud’

Phil and Holly were known to be the best of pals since they first started presenting This Morning together in 2009.

But over the years, rumours of a feud began swirling around the pair, something they both addressed in 2021, after Phil had come out as gay the year before.

Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast in November 2021, Holly admitted it had been “difficult”.

She said: “It’s a funny one, isn’t it. Don’t get me wrong, like, it is difficult. That was a particularly difficult time. Of course. For many reasons. But I think, and I remember having this conversation with Phil at the time, it was like: ‘But we know’.”

She added: “I have to believe that, that as long as you know, inside, and you know the truth, you know your truth, then everything got to be ok. It has to be. And I have to hold on to that. I can’t start questioning that.”

Meanwhile, Phil referenced coming out on Chris Evans’ How to Wow Podcast and said that Holly had supported him.

“There was nothing that was being said that had any truth in it whatsoever,” he said. “There was no and there has never been a feud with Holly.

“When they’re writing ‘Phillip and Holly and feud’ we couldn’t have been closer because I’d told her my secret and she was holding me together at work.”

However, the whispers only intensified, with an insider suggesting last year that their supposed disagreement actually started three years ago. The tension reportedly began when Holly decided to part ways with her and Phil’s agents, YMU Group, to establish her own agency, Roxy Management.

But this move allegedly got tangled in a legal battle over YMU’s demand for 15% of her future earnings.

An inside source claimed that this incident led to Holly trying to distance herself from Phil back in 2020.

They spilled to The Sun: “The legal issues rumbled on for 18 months but Holly fought for what was right. Ultimately, Phil chose to start and Holly chose to leave, it wasn’t easy at the time.”

The fissures might have even appeared earlier than that as Phil was reportedly miffed that Holly was chosen to host I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2018 while he was overlooked.

“It was widely known in the industry that Phil was annoyed Holly was offered the jungle,” the source disclosed to the publication. “It was a massive break for her and she more than proved her mettle. Phil was naturally jealous it wasn’t him.”

This Morning exit

After a 13-year run, Phil and Holly’s golden TV partnership concluded when he officially stepped down from This Morning.

Phil dropped a bombshell when he declared: “I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story.

“Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind. I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.”

He then announced his immediate departure: “So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.”

“Not forgetting you lot at home,” he added, expressing gratitude: “I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers – and I’ll see you all for the Soap Awards next month.”

Despite Phil bowing out, co-host Holly made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere but admitted things would change drastically without her long-time presenting partner.

However, she too quit the show months later after a plot to kidnap and murder her was discovered. The man with the plan, Gavin Plumb, was jailed in July 2024.

‘Unwise but not illegal’ affair

Phil owned up to an affair with a young colleague despite being married to Stephanie in May 2023.

After the rumours hit fever pitch, Phil addressed the scandal in a confession to Daily Mail, acknowledging his “consensual on-off relationship” with a young production runner at ITV, whom he had met when he was just a teen.

He claimed their relationship blossomed from a platonic friendship to romance as they collaborated professionally. Phil admitted he hadn’t been transparent about the affair, which he termed “unwise but not illegal”, citing his desire to “protect” his former workmate.

He also mentioned that his recent exit from This Morning had sparked rumours about their affair and affected his ex-partner.

The TV host was axed by his representatives at YMU Group for contravening their fundamental principles of “honesty and integrity.” Mary Bekhait, CEO of YMU Group, stated: “Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do.

“Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust. This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield.”

The statement added: “These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisors we had brought in to support him. As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk