Phillip Schofield latest: why he quit This Morning and what happens next - as Holly Willoughby returns

Holly Willoughby has made her return to This Morning and delivered an emotional statement about her former co-host Phillip Schofield's exit. She said she felt “shaken, troubled, let down and worried” in her first appearance on the sofa since taking a family holiday to Portugal in the wake of the scandal surrounding the ITV show.

It comes just days after Schofield spoke about the affair he had with a younger male colleague for the first time since leaving the show.

The ITV daytime show has been left in the middle of a mounting crisis following the presenter’s dramatic exit. The veteran presenter, 61, quit both his role as presenter on This Morning and departed from ITV after admitting an affair with a younger colleague on Friday 26 May.

He presented his final episode on Thursday 18 May, following months of tabloid speculation about tensions among the team. ITV's plan is that his co-star Willoughby will continue as host when she returns from leave, although the future of the show is now in serious doubt, after allegations of a "toxic culture" behind the scenes.

On Wednesday (31 May), it was announced that ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall has ordered an external review into the matter. Schofield had confirmed that he had an “unwise, but not illegal” relationship with a younger ITV employee. The broadcaster later said that it had investigated the “rumours” in 2020.

Schofield has since been dropped as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. The charity, founded by King Charles, said it was “no longer appropriate” for it to continue working with him.

What's the latest with the scandal, and what's been said so far? Here's what you need to know.

What has Phillip Schofield said?

‘I don’t see a future’

Phillip Schofield has said has “lost everything” and sees “nothing ahead” of him in the wake of his affair with a younger male colleague. The former presenter said the fallout from the revelations had been “relentless” as he told of a “catastrophic effect” on his mind.

Speaking to the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Schofield asked: “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am”, as he told of the criticism he has faced since admitting to the affair, which took place while he was still married to wife Stephanie Lowe and before he came out publicly as gay. The pair met when the younger man was 15 but the presenter said the affair began after he joined ITV’s This Morning as an adult.

‘Afraid to leave the house’

In a new interview he said he feared being spat on in the street and that he was currently getting by “hour by hour”. The former This Morning presenter, 61, previously said he had “lost everything” after admitting to the affair, and that the fallout had had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind.

In a new interview, released on Friday, he told The Sun: “I do not know a time I will be able to walk out of the door. I don’t have any spirit. My friends tell me, ‘It will get better’. It won’t. Not now. Not this one.”

He added: “I am getting by hour by hour. I have got my girls and my friends.”

'Unwise, but not illegal'

The former ITV host said on Friday that “contrary to speculation” the relationship was “not illegal” - although he did first meet the man when he was still a teen.

In a statement, the presenter apologised for lying about the relationship. “The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them (the Daily Mail), and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning,” he said. “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.”

He announced that he would be leaving ITV and would not present the Soap Awards next month - as originally planned.

In a statement posted on Instagram on 29 May, Schofield denied claims there was a "toxic" culture at This Morning and said that "a small handful" of people held a "grudge" against him. It followed claims made by Dr Ranj on Sunday about a toxic culture where complaints were ignored by bosses.

What have ITV bosses said?

ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall responded to the media furore in a letter published on 31 May, saying that an ITV investigation in 2020 "did not find any evidence of a relationship" between Schofield and the other employee.

In a letter sent to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, Dame Carolyn said: “As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend. These show that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in late 2019/early 2020 ITV investigated.

“Both parties were questioned then and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Phillip’s then agency YMU. In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on the This Morning and wider Daytime team and were not provided with, and did not find any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.

“Given the ongoing rumours, we continued to ask questions of both parties, who both continued to deny the rumours, including as recently as this month. There has been a lot of inaccuracy in the reporting so I thought it would be useful to set out some facts.”

In the letter, Dame Carolyn added that she has ordered an external review led by a barrister: “We have now instructed Jane Mulcahy KC (Blackstone Chambers) to carry out an external review to establish the facts. She will review our records and talk to people involved. This work will also consider our relevant processes and policies and whether we need to change or strengthen any.

“Given Phillip’s admission of the extent of his deception the work will extend to cover any related issues that may emerge. This work will be carried out as quickly as possible and we will be happy to share the outcome.”

What has Holly Willoughby said?

Initially, Holly Willoughby released a positive statement about Schofield following news of her co-host's departure. She said: “It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.”

However, on Saturday (27 May), the presenter claimed that Schofield’s previous denial of rumours “was a lie”.

“It’s taken time to process yesterday’s news,” Willoughby posted. “When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It’s been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.”

Willoughby returned to This Morning on Monday 5 June and delivered a statement about Schofield, saying: "It feels very strange sitting here without Phil. I imagine you have been feeling a lot like how I have, shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing for people on all sides of what has been going on and full of questions."

What has Eamonn Holmes said?

Eamonn Holmes, who presented This Morning with his wife Ruth Holmes on Fridays from 2006 until 2021, has emerged as a vocal critic of Schofield and ITV over the past week.

Writing on Twitter on Monday (29 May), the Northern Irish presenter said: "Schofield has just put out a delusional statement. Like Holly he puts it on Insta Stories so if it goes wrong there is no record after 24 hrs. I'm reluctant to give the liar any more publicity but believe me Pip if u r looking for a fight , u have picked on the wrong person !"

On Friday, following Schofield's statement, Holmes took aim at bosses on This Morning. He posted on Twitter: "Schofield has finally been caught out ... But he's not the only guilty party. 4 high members of Itv management knew what sort of man he was ...and NEVER once took action to prevent him controlling or taking advantage of his position over young people.”

He added that both he and his wife had been "lied to" over the scandal: "Ruth and I deceived and lied to . One day I willl tell the story. We had no issue with him being Gay, only support. What transpired took us for fools . The man told us complete lies and we unfortunately believed him."

Holmes also gave an interview to GB News on Monday (29 May), where he alleged that their had been a total cover-up at ITV over the Schofield affair. He claimed that Schofield “created an atmosphere” on This Morning “where people hated him”, adding: “This nonsense that he wrote today about toxicity, about how (This Morning) is a happy place or whatever, holy God, what planet does this man live on?"

Who will present This Morning?

For now, Holly Willoughby will remain and will co-present with members of the team. She made her return on 5 June alongside co-host Josie Gibson.

Schofield and Willoughby presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted ITV’s Dancing On Ice. They have been open about their close friendship over the years, which has included sharing pictures on social media of them while on joint holidays with their families. But this relationship has clearly deteriorated over recent days and weeks.

Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary filled in as hosts on This Morning in the week the scandal broke, and continue this week. The pair are both hot contenders to take over Schofield’s role given their experience on the show. Bookies have issued odds on favourites to replace Schofield on the famous sofa.

ITV investigated Schofield ‘rumours’ in 2020

The broadcaster said in a statement on Saturday (27 May) that it was “not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour” when it looked into the matter in 2020.

“ITV can confirm that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated”, the statement read.

From our sister title PeopleWorld: Why This Morning needs to end NOW before the Phillip Schofield drama engulfs ITV