Phillip Schofield thinks there is “no way back for him” on TV, but was recently supported by one celebrity friend at a party.
Former I’m a Celebrity contestant Darren Day has known the former This Morning host since they appeared together in a production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1993, and remained in touch with him in the wake of Schofield’s career scandal in 2023.
Schofield, 64, left ITV after admitting he lied about having a consensual relationship with a younger man, who worked as a runner on the daytime show.
open image in galleryDay, 57, told MailOnline he “last saw Phil a few months ago at the house of a very good friend of mine, and Ant and Dec were there”.
He said they “all go back an awfully long way”, and lambasted Schofield’s career being ended by the affair admission.
“Phil and I have been mates for a long time. It was a massive career to have taken away. I don’t know the ins and outs, but the Phil that I know is a good man. We were mates and had a lot of fun times together.”
The Independent has contacted Ant and Dec for comment.
In 2023, Schofield said he met the man, who he later had an affair with, when he was 15 and when Schofield was “maybe” in his mid-fifties. He said that he had helped the teenager secure work experience.
Schofield added that the affair began after the man started working at ITV, when he was at least 20, and said it had been “consensual”, reiterating that he had not “groomed” the man. Schofield called the relationship “unwise” but not “illegal”.
open image in gallery
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
The following year, Schofield jetted off to Madagascar for a one-man survival challenge for Channel 5 series Phillip Schofield: Cast Away – with the presenter receiving support from another one of the show’s celebrity alumni: Dame Joanna Lumley.
As he prepared to arrive on the island, Lumley, who appeared on the previous series, sent him a message, saying: “Listen, Phil, these are the tips I’ve got. Keep your knives sharp, spend much of the day trying to find wood, otherwise you won’t be able to eat anything.
“When I was on the island, I made a pair of shoes out of my bra… and I would love to think that you could do something a bit challenging, and bring it back so we could all look at it.
“I shall be thinking of you all the time Phil, and actually I’m a little bit jealous, lots of love.”
Schofield said: “Oh, you darling, thank you so much, that’s amazing.”
At the end of the programme, Schofield said he was undecided on whether he would return to presenting.
In tears, he said: “Now I’m not saying I’m done, but you know, never in a million years will I go back to daytime telly. I’ve lived a hundred TV lives.”