Phillip Schofield has confirmed the loss of his beloved mum, Pat, aged 88. Taking to Instagram on Monday evening, the presenter shared a selection of family photos. "Today, at 3pm and after a heartbreaking weekend, my magnificent mum decided it was time to go to her beloved Brian," he captioned one of them.
"Over three days, we held her, loved her, hugged her and said everything that needed to be said. She was calm, peaceful, beautiful and dignified. I will forever be proud and privileged that she was my mum."
"Our eternal thanks to the paramedics, Treliske A&E and Critical Care team who have been, in the past and this weekend, my mum's and our angels," continued Phillip. "Your love and care has been our saviour."
Following the news, Phillip's daughter Molly reshared his post and penned a tribute of her own. Alongside a photo of her grandmother, the 31-year-old wrote: "Love you so much Bo, give a huge kiss to Bri when you see him."
Phillip's younger daughter, Ruby, 28, followed suit. "We will miss you so much, Bo. Love you more than yesterday and less than tomorrow. Bri has been waiting for you. Give him the biggest hug for us," she captioned a photo of her grandparents.
Phillip was incredibly close to his mother, who was previously diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Speaking about Pat's condition in a 2014 interview with Health Awareness, the star said: "My brother and mother are both Type 1 diabetics and have been for the last 25 years, so it is something that as a family we are very used to.
"If either of them have a hypo [Hypoglycaemic episode], we can recognise the signs and we know what to do. My Mum goes particularly bonkers when she goes low, so when she starts talking nonsense we know what's happening."
Phillip is no longer in contact with his brother, Timothy, who has been jailed for 12 years after facing 11 charges of interfering with a child.
Phillip and his mother remained incredibly close, however. After the TV star came out as gay on This Morning, Pat had spoken of her pride in her son.
"For him to be so brave in front of so many people was inspiring, because I know how hard it was for him to do," she told The Mirror in 2020.
A few years later, when Phillip announced his departure from This Morning, he relocated to his house in Cornwall, close to Pat's residence in Newquay. The 62-year-old's exit came after he admitted to lying about an affair with a younger, male colleague. In a statement, he said that he was "deeply sorry" for lying about the relationship and that while it was "unwise, but not illegal," it had since ended.