Phillip Schofield has revealed that he sent his former best friend Holly Willoughby a message apologising for lying to her. In a new interview with BBC, the former This Morning TV presenter revealed that he had reached out to her after it was revealed that he had an affair with a younger male colleague who worked on the show.
Speaking to the network, the 61-year-old explained: “I WhatsApped her on the day I put out the statement. I said that you don't have to reply, you probably can't, but I want to say I'm desperately, desperately sorry.” He added that the mum-of-three had yet to respond to his message.
He added: “I adore Holly. I've always adored her. She's my TV sister. I don't have a problem with her at all. I would say to everyone, my family, friends, my work colleagues, to ITV, the public, my management company, the people I lied to: I am desperately sorry. But principally I would like to apologise to him.”
Holly has yet to comment on Phil’s latest interview while on holiday in Portugal, but the star did post about fixing sun damaged hair in a defiant snap.
Phillip revealed that the pair’s friendship initially cooled after his brother, Timothy Schofield, was convicted and imprisoned for 11 sexual offences involving a child.
Phillip quit This Morning after 20 years following growing reports that there was a rift between them, shortly before confessing to having the affair. He has repeatedly denied that Holly and his colleagues at ITV had any knowledge of the situation.
In the statement, he said: "I am making this statement via the Daily Mail to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story which they wanted to write about me a few days ago. The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning.
"I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over."
Unlike Holly, some of Phillip’s other former colleagues have been vocal about the situation, particularly Eamonn Holmes. In an interview with Dan Wootton for GB News, the former This Morning presenter spoke about the Phillip's affair with the former This Morning runner.
He said: “Ruth and I particularly looked after him, he never once talked to us about any relationship, but we knew he was in a bad way and he was in a bad way fragilely. There’s an incredible duty of care that needs to go towards that young man."
Don't want to miss a story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter and get the heads-up on the shows and films everyone’s talking about.