S Poddar
Former This Morning ITV presenter Phillip Schofield said he was going through a massive emotional breakdown after his career was brought to a screeching halt as a result of a very public secret affair. Schofield had hosted the popular daytime show for many years alongside Holly Willoughby, and in conversation with Times Radio DJ and interviewer Fatima Manji, admitted during the turmoil he came close to committing suicide.
Schofield resigned in May 2023 after it was discovered that he had been involved in an affair with a young male researcher. The affair, which he termed “unwise but not illegal,” shocked the public, and his once-thriving career collapsed. He has kept largely out of the limelight since then but will be back on television in a new Channel 5 series telling the tale of his life after the scandal.
To be screened on Monday evening is the new program Castaway, a fortnight of enforced solitude that Schofield spent on the island off Madagascar, chronicling his thoughts and experiences. Shot with a camera crew stationed on a nearby island, the show gives an intimate insight into his emotional odyssey following the scandal.
During the program, Schofield honestly speaks of the darkest times he witnessed after leaving This Morning. He said that he had even written an account of how to end his life. However, says Schofield, the thought of harming his daughters never crossed his mind. About his daughter Molly, he remembers the dialogue they had with him – which was the turning point of his life.
“I had everything in place, everything was set up and everything was ready,” Schofield said. “Molly said, ‘Do you imagine what this would do to us if you actually managed to pull this off? Can you imagine what would happen and what it would do to me if you did this on my watch?’ That was just enough to take a step back from the edge.”
Schofield also expressed frustration regarding how he was treated by former colleagues on ITV, where he once shared a very close and intimate relationship with his co-host, Holly Willoughby. They were almost inseparable as a hosting team during their time on This Morning, but he indicated that things changed once he left that show. Nothing was ever left unsaid as he minced words about his sense of betrayal: “If you throw somebody under a bus, you have to have a really good bloody reason for doing it.”
Schofield’s future in the broadcasting world is up in the air after his sudden departure from ITV. In a recent interview, he indicated that he does not want to go back to ITV as he is on good terms with some of the other hosts. He revealed, “Although my best mates host it, there are some channels you just won’t work for. There are just some people you won’t work for.”
The scandal ended his career at ITV, as well as costing him the trust of many in the industry. Schofield had already apologized for the affair, admitting to causing pain and lying to his TV bosses about the relationship. He had swift fallout from the scandal-the agent terminated their partnership, and Schofield hasn’t been seen on British television since.
Though his life never goes back to the old days, Schofield’s upcoming reality appearance on Castaway proves he is slowly rebuilding himself. Viewers will get a glimpse of the mental battles he has survived along that grueling road traveled since his public discovery of his affair.
Schofield was once one of the UK’s most popular and highest-paid television presenters, with a career spanning decades. His fall has been dramatic; he looks forward to the opportunity to tell his side of the story and maybe start again.
As Schofield appears in Castaway, the public reaction will be fairly and squarely mixed. While some of the viewers may sympathize with his plight, others will continue to label him as the culprit responsible for the consequences they face. However, healing and redemption are most definitely a long way out for Schofield.
