Phillip Schofield released a bombshell statement on Friday night in which he admitted to having an affair with a younger male colleague at This Morning before announcing his departure from ITV altogether.
Following his revelation, the 61-year-old was dropped by his talent agency of 35 years, YMU Group, who issued a statement suggesting the trust between them and Phillip was gone. However, the move puts his daughter, Molly, in a difficult position as she has been employed by the company for almost eight years.
The 29-year-old started out as a PA in 2015 before being promoted to Assistant Talent Manager less than one year later. In December 2020, YMU promoted her to a senior level.
It is not clear whether Molly has also parted ways with YMU, by her own accord or not, following her father's abrupt departure, but at the moment she still has her job listed as 'Talent Manager at YMU Group' on her LinkedIn profile and Instagram bio.
© GettyShortly after Phillip's announcement on Friday, Mary Bekhait, the CEO of YMU Group, issued a statement, which read: "Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do. Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust.
"This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield. These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisors we had brought in to support him. As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect."
© GettyIn his own statement, Phillip 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.
© Getty"When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody 'forced' me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me."
He continued: "In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven't been truthful about the relationship. But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"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."
Revealing his departure from ITV, he concluded: "I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me. I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so. I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected."
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