Phillip Schofield will not be returning to television or radio following the publication of ITV’s report into his affair with a much younger colleague.
Friends of the fallen presenter say he has been privately ‘dreading’ the review because he ‘had no idea’ what it might uncover.
Those close to him also say that the fear of the report – which cleared bosses of a cover-up – revealing unwanted details has left him in a ‘very bad place’.
His supporters have called for him to be allowed to make a comeback. But Schofield, 61, is expected to continue to ‘cocoon’ himself away at his London home in the aftermath of his admission that he had a relationship with a junior colleague on This Morning, while married to the mother of his two daughters, Stephanie Lowe.
One friend told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Phillip isn’t returning anywhere, he has been in a really bad place since he decided to tell the truth and resign from his job. He has got himself into a cocoon and he is continuing to recover. He has had the report hanging over his head for a long time.
Phillip Schofield will not be returning to television or radio following the publication of ITV ‘s report into his affair with a much younger colleague (pictured in January 2023)
Friends of the fallen presenter say he has been privately ‘dreading’ the review because he ‘had no idea’ what it might uncover (pictured with Holly in 2020)
‘It has been a thing of dread for him.
‘Now that’s out of the way he can start to build a life of some kind but there is no way he will be in the public eye again for a very long time, if ever again.’
Friends say they hope Schofield will find some kind of pastime away from the limelight as he gets better.
The father-of-two did not take part in the external investigation, which was conducted by lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC, and neither did the younger man – whom ITV refer to as Person X.
Sources close to Schofield say that is because he was ‘too unwell’ to do so – something they say was understood by Ms Mulcahy. But the report, criticised as being a ‘whitewash’ and a ‘waste of time’, is said to have left staff at the network ‘bewildered’. While conceding that junior staff working at the organisation were too scared to speak up, it found that only one junior employee had said they knew of the affair.
In May, Schofield stood down from all of his ITV commitments of his own volition when he admitted to the Daily Mail that he had been having an affair with a production assistant on This Morning who was much younger – and later lied about it. The presenter had previously attempted to use the press regulator IPSO against this newspaper to keep his relationship a secret.
Schofield was immediately dumped by his agency of 35 years, YMU. They also said he had lied to them about the affair.
The star had been hosting This Morning since 2002 when he replaced John Leslie.
He also presented ITV’s skating show Dancing On Ice after catapulting to fame as a children’s television presenter on the BBC.
Those close to him also say that the fear of the report – which cleared bosses of a cover-up – revealing unwanted details has left him in a ‘very bad place’
The star had been hosting This Morning since 2002 when he replaced John Leslie. He also presented ITV’s skating show Dancing On Ice after catapulting to fame as a children’s television presenter on the BBC (pictured in 2016)