A timeline of how Phillip Schofield went from the king of daytime TV to a ‘national disgrace’

Phillip Schofield has fallen from being the king of daytime TV to becoming a national disgrace and it’s been a long time coming. Within the space of a few weeks he has lost everyone and is now one of the most vilified people in the press and it’s all down to his scandalous affair with a younger man on This Morning’s production team.

So here’s a timeline of events from when Phillip Schofield came out that lead to his explosive interview with the BBC this week.

February 2020 – Phillip Schofield comes out on This Morning

Back in February 2020, Phillip Schofield revealed he was gay. He made his confession on This Morning prior to an emotional interview on the show. In a statement at the time he spoke about his wife who he had been married to for 27 years. His statement said: “You never know what’s going on in someone’s seemingly perfect life, what issues they are struggling with, or the state of their wellbeing – and so you won’t know what has been consuming me for the last few years. With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay.”

Phillip Schofield was met with floods of support from Holly Willoughby, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford who all stayed on air to speak about him coming out.

April 2020 – He moved out of the family home

In April 2020, The Sun reported Phillip had moved out of his home, a home that they only just managed to sell this week after it was dropped by £100k in price.

After coming out as gay Phillip reportedly moved into a flat in central London.

September 2022 – Queuegate

Things were so quiet for Phillip over the course of the pandemic. Up until the queen died he was able to just get on with life. However he was dragged into the queuegate controversy along with Holly Willoughby.

Rather than queueing up with other members of the public to see the Queen lying in state, Phillip and Holly were fast-tracked to see her. Other celebrities such as Susanna Reid queued for 12 hours to see the Queen.

The backlash Holly and Phillip faced was immense. Over 80,000 people signed a petition calling for them to be sacked from This Morning and according to reports it caused a rift in their friendship.

April 2023 – Phillip Schofield’s brother stands trial

Earlier this year, Phillip Schofield’s brother stood trial for sexually abusing a teenager. In a statement read out in court, Phillip claimed his brother had confessed his crimes to him back in 2021 and he told his brother to “never do it again.”

Phillip kept his brother’s crime and trial a secret from Holly, reportedly leaving her “blindsided.”

May 2023 – Tension grows between Holly and Phillip on This Morning

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The pair weren’t on telly together for a month before they returned. And as soon as they hit out screens we were met with reports claiming they had fallen out. Publications covered stories claiming the friends were no longer speaking off-camera.

May 2023 – Phillip’s brother was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenager

Last month, Phillip Schofield’s brother was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Phillip publicly disowned his brother and returned to This Morning.

May 2023 – Phillip Schofield quits This Morning

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On Saturday 20th May 2023, Phillip Schofield announced he was stepping down from This Morning with immediate effect. In a statement he said: ‘I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story. I understand 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. 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.”

Holly Willoughby thanked Phillip Schofield for his work and said the show “won’t feel the same without him.” On the first episode back since his departure, Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary hosted and gave a tribute to Phillip Schofield.

May 2023 – Various famous celebrities and ITV personalities speak about Phillip Schofield

On top of more brands dropping Phillip Schofield and stepping down from the Soap Awards presenter gig, a few ITV celebs have come forward sharing their thoughts on him.

Former This Morning star, Dr Ranj Singh spoke out about a “toxic culture” he experienced whilst at This Morning. Amanda Holden was uploading cryptic posts and Eamonn Holmes was having his own dramatic interviews with Dan Wooton on GB News.

May 2023 – Phillip admits he had an affair

One week on from leaving This Morning, Phillip Schofield admits he had an affair with a younger male from the production team at This Morning. He also admitted to essentially lying about it and then quit ITV. He was then immediately dropped by his management. His statement said: “I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public, and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”

June 2023 – The BBC interview

Today, the BBC released an interview on BBC iPlayer with Phillip Schofield. In the interview he spoke about his scandal and what he thinks life will look like for him now. He also admitted to having suicidal feelings, his daughters saving his life and shared that he believes he didn’t groom his former lover.

Phillip Schofield also said his friendship with Holly Willoughby is over, he said: “I’ve lost my best friend. I let her down.”

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