Phillip Schofield: Ex-This Morning presenter absent from external inquiry into affair due to 'risk to health'

Phillip Schofield did not take part in an external inquiry following his departure from This Morning because of a "risk to his health", ITV has said. The broadcaster, which published findings from its inquiry into the former anchor's affair with an employee on the show, said his "mental health has since deteriorated".

The 61-year-old presenter quit the popular ITV talk show which he had hosted for more than two decades after admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" relationship with a younger male colleague. He was subsequently dropped by his talent agency, YMU after he admitted to lying about the affair to his family and colleagues, including his long-time co-host Holly Willoughby.

Earlier this year, ITV hired lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC to conduct a review following Schofield's affair with the young runner. Mulcahy's responsibility was to investigate ITV's awareness of Schofield's professional association with the unnamed personal assistant along with evaluating ITV's procedures for addressing complaints related to This Morning as a whole.

The report said ITV made “considerable efforts” to find out the truth about an alleged relationship between Phillip Schofield and the runner, who in the report was referred to as 'Person X' or 'PX', on This Morning in 2019 but was “unable to uncover the relevant evidence” until the presenter’s own admission in late May 2023.

ITV bosses have said both Schofield and his former lover “repeatedly denied” allegations of a relationship until the star quit ITV and formally apologised.

A report by Ms Mulcahy said: “ITV’s management made considerable efforts to determine the truth about an alleged relationship between PS (Schofield) and PX (the runner) following on from the publication of a story in The Sun newspaper in early December 2019. However, in the face of the denials of the individuals involved, ITV was unable to uncover the relevant evidence until PS’s admission in late May 2023.”

Ms Mulcahy interviewed 48 people for the review but Schofield “reluctantly declined” to take part because of “the risk to his health”, the report says. The report said: "I am informed that PS’s mental health has since deteriorated,” the report said.

The lawyer said among the individuals she interviewed during her investigation, only one person was aware of a potential affair, and that person did not report it to management. Others who had suspicions about the relationship also did not bring it to the attention of higher-ups.

There was also criticism directed at ITV when Schofield admitted to the relationship, particularly because it was revealed that the personal assistant secured an internship on the show through the anchor before later being offered a job. According to Mulcahy's report, while Schofield's support initially aided Person X in the early stages of their time at ITV, later on, Person X appears to have got the job on his own.

The runner, whose identity is not public, also declined to participate. The daytime programme continued to face scrutiny following Schofield’s departure, with allegations of a “toxic” environment. Willoughby left the show in October.

The controversy started in February 2020 when Schofield, a married man with two daughters, publicly revealed his sexual orientation on the show. Speculation arose that he made this announcement pre-emptively to address an impending tabloid story about his involvement with a PA/runner on the show.

However, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the following month overshadowed Schofield's disclosure. In March this year, Schofield's younger brother was convicted of sexual offences involving a child, prompting the anchor to take a hiatus from the airwaves for the trial's duration. There were rumours that Willoughby was surprised by this news, worsening their already strained relationship.

Mulcahy also raised concern surrounding ITV's “Speaking Up” policy, which she said was “still not filtering down to junior employees, many of whom remain convinced that to speak out will have a detrimental impact on their careers.”

She suggested that, among other recommendations, ITV set out “clear guidelines for its talent going forward to ensure that good behaviours are observed even by those who are household names.”

ITV chair Andy Cosslett, in a statement following publication of the report, said: “The KC review makes it clear that ITV’s management made considerable efforts to determine the truth about an alleged relationship between (Schofield) and Person X following media speculation.

“However, no concerns were reported and in the face of the denials of the individuals involved, ITV was unable to uncover the relevant evidence until (Schofield’s) admission in late May 2023 We are completely committed to creating an environment where everyone is treated with respect and feels able to give of their best.”