Phillip Schofield ‘plots TV comeback’ after unfollowing best pal Holly Willoughby

An expert claims Phillip Schofield has plans for a TV comeback – after unfollowing his former This Morning co-star Holly Willoughby on social media.

Schofield, 61, was one of the most recognisable faces of daytime TV, hosting ITV’s flagship daytime show for 21 years.

But he left ITV altogether after it emerged that he’d had an affair with a younger male colleague on the show, despite being married to his wife Steph.

READ MORE: Phillip Schofield unfollows Holly Willoughby ahead of her first NTAs without him

After the revelations went public, Phil was quick to defend himself – declaring the affair in an interview with the BBC as “unwise but not illegal”.

But now the presenter is eyeing up a plan to get back on screens, according to Edward Coram-James, crisis communications and PR expert at SEO agency Go Up.

The expert told The Mirror that in order to restore his reputation, Phil has a fall break three-point-plan to get the viewer’s trust back and that the plan is already in motion, with the first step being a ‘tell-all’ confessional interview.

The first came back in June, when Phil jumped to the BBC to give his side of the story, speaking to Amol Rajan on the fiasco.

But Coram-James believed it to be a gamble worth taking, adding: “Schofield is a presenting veteran and was always going to fare better in such circumstances than the likes of the Duke of York.

“He is used to being in front of the camera, being personable, amendable and human, and saying what he has to say”.

Despite being ridiculed by the media and the general public, Phillip took full accountability, a tactic that “the public likes to see,” according to Edward.

The second step towards his TV comeback came by chance through the online trial of Huw Edwards, who paid thousands to a much younger person in exchange for lewd pics.

According to Edward, the scandal with the BBC news presenter offered a mirror to the public to compare how the two men were treated for similar mishaps.

He also pointed to “the presumption of innocence” that the British public has towards those who struggle with their mental health, highlighting how even the alleged victim discredited the claims.

“Without it even having to be pointed out, it was impossible for the public not to make the side-by-side comparison and to take note of the double standard,” he said.

“This took a lot of the sting out of the Schofield saga. But still, where were the high-profile endorsements of Schofield? Why had Edwards received such widespread, high-profile backing, but Schofield was still persona non grata?”

The final step in his plan for a TV comeback is to reinvent himself, and present a new image to the public.

It comes as Phil opted to unfollow former best mate Holly ahead of the National Television Awards on Tuesday (September 5). She continues to follow him for now.

The only member of the This Morning team who continued to stay in touch with him was Vanessa Feltz, who was papped having dinner with Phil at a West London restaurant.

After Vanessa’s public engagement with Phil, it is hoped that other celebs will begin to reach out to him after the initial wave of hatred has died down, according to Edward.

“The public needs to see him in his natural environment, doing what he does best. And that’s making people feel a little bit of warmth when they turn on the TV,” he explained.

“Give him the chance to do it again, and all but a few bitter people will be quick to forgive his mistakes.”

Phillip’s representatives have decided not to comment on the matter.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk