Phillip Schofield: 'I'm a liar and a cheat and I'm sorry' - Star sensationally admits affair with much younger man as he quits TV for good
Phillip Schofield has been dumped by his agent after admitting to an affair with a young runner
ITV
Phillip Schofield has dramatically admitted to cheating on his wife with a much younger man and lying about it.
The 61-year old - who was axed by This Morning earlier this week - said he had an affair with a teenage runner at ITV while he was still married.
Schofield said the relationship was “unwise" but insisted it was "not illegal".
He was immediately dropped by his talent agency of 35 years after lying to them about his private life.
He will no longer be represented by YMU after they said they didn't trust him.
MORE ON THIS STORY...
PHILLIP SCHOFIELD: HIS EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENT IN FULL
I KNOW WHAT SCHOFIELD'S REALLY LIKE OFF-CAMERA, SAYS BEV TURNER
EAMONN HOLMES: WHAT I REALLY THINK ABOUT HOLLY WILLOUGHBY
ITV STAFF CELEBRATE AS LYING SCHOFIELD SACKED
Schofield also admitted repeatedly lying to the media, colleagues, his own lawyer and others about the secret tryst.
He said: "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."
Mary Bekhait, the Group CEO of YMU Group, said: “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, we have agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect.”
Phillip Schofield's page was instantly deleted from the YMU talent agency website
YMU
Schofield's profile was instantly deleted from the YMU website, with a message simply saying "Page not found".
It came as the TV veteran released a statement to the Daily Mail in which he also said he was resigning from ITV and stepping back from public life.
The much younger man, who is not a well known figure, had wanted the relationship to remain private.
Schofield, who announced he was gay in 2020, was still married to wife Stephanie Lowe at the time of the affair.
In a statement responding to the YMU decision, Schofield said: “It is with the most profound regret that after 35 years of being faultlessly managed by YMU I have agreed to step down from their representation with immediate effect.”
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield's friendship had broken down in recent months
PA
Schofield was axed by This Morning following a bitter feud with co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
YMU group previously represented Schofield’s former co-host but she opted to leave in 2020 to start her own agency.
The move reportedly sparked tension in the pair’s relationship, with a legal dispute over YMU’s claim for 15 per cent of her future earnings.
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby jumped the queue at the Queen's funeral
BBC
Last year, Holly won £1 million in an out-of-court settlement with YMU.
An insider said: “The legal issues rumbled on for 18 months but Holly fought for what was right.
“Ultimately, Phil chose to stay and Holly chose to leave, it wasn’t easy at the time.”
MORE ON THIS STORY...
SCHOFIELD SCANDAL: WHAT ITV BOSSES FEAR MOST
WHY SCHOFIELD SHOULD HAVE BEEN SACKED YEARS AGO
LIAR SCHOFIELD 'A SHELL OF HIMSELF'
I'M ENJOYING WATCHING SCHOFIELD'S EGO TAKEN DOWN, SAYS STEPHEN DIXON
In September Schofield and Willoughby sparked national outrage after appearing to jump the queue at the lying in state of the late Queen Elizabeth, despite other celebrities - including David Beckham - having to wait overnight.
This Morning claimed the pair were there just "doing their job" as broadcasters and were filming.
In a statement on Instagram, it said: "We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday's programme."
"They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state - but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world's media to report on the event."
You may like
