Eamonn Holmes saw red on Tuesday while discussing the fallout from former colleague Phillip Schofield’s dramatic return to mainstream TV.
Schofield has divided Channel 5 viewers after travelling to a remote island in the Indian Ocean for new three-part series Cast Away – his first TV work since parting ways with ITV more than 18-months ago.
The married presenter’s career was thought to be over after he admitted to lying about an affair with a young male runner on This Morning.
Discussing his return with GB News co-host Isabel Webster, Holmes reacted angrily after she insisted the presenter ‘hadn’t done anything illegal’ in having the affair.
‘Why is that even relevant?’ he barked. ‘He met the boy when he was 15, so why do you keep on pushing that?’
Eamonn Holmes saw red on Tuesday while discussing the fallout from former colleague Phillip Schofield ‘s dramatic return to mainstream TV
Schofield has divided Channel 5 viewers after travelling to a remote island in the Indian Ocean for new three-part series Cast Away – his first TV work since parting ways with ITV
Holmes, who worked with Schofield on This Morning and has made no secret of his dislike for the presenter, previously admitted he was ‘very proud to have thrown him under the bus.’
‘This man is addicted to fame, absolutely addicted to fame,’ he claimed, adding the presenter ‘deserved’ to be in exile.
Schofield’s lover was just 15 when they met at a talk the TV presenter was giving at a theatre school, The Mail on Sunday previously revealed.
At the time, the schoolboy asked him for a job, and Schofield later arranged an interview for him. It led to a position as an ITV production assistant when he turned 18. Years afterwards, their affair began.
While filming Cast Away, Schofield referred to himself as the ‘shamed, disgraced Phillip Schofield, who had an affair’.
The former This Morning host said: ‘Strangely, I think another TV presenter or two might have done exactly the same thing.
‘Difference is heterosexual. It’s not an unusual thing in the gay world for there to be a difference in age groups.
‘That’s not that unusual in the straight world, but if that had been the case with me and it had been a woman. Pat on the back. Well done, mate.’
Holmes is so far the only one of Schofield’s former This Morning colleagues who has addressed his TV comeback (pictured together on This Morning in 2013)
Discussing his return with GB News co-host Isabel Webster, Holmes reacted angrily after she insisted the presenter ‘hadn’t done anything illegal’ in having the affair
Schofield admitted to a secret affair with a younger male colleague at ITV, but strongly denies accusations of grooming
Schofield admitted to a secret affair with a younger male colleague at ITV, but strongly denies accusations of grooming.
At the time Schofield denied he had been ‘forced out’, and said he was ‘so very, very sorry’ for lying to ITV, his colleagues, wife and friends.
An external review, carried out by Jane Mulcahy KC on behalf of ITV found the channel made ‘considerable efforts’ to find out the truth about an alleged affair between Schofield and a runner in 2019, but was not able to find evidence about the rumours.
Schofield ‘reluctantly declined’ to take part in the probe because of ‘the risk to his health’, the report in December 2023 said.
Mulcahy said that for the period she reviewed, she could not find evidence of a ‘toxic’ culture, and urged ITV to help junior employees who think speaking out will have a ‘detrimental impact on their careers’.
Schofield has been accused of lying by ITV insiders, after he blamed his brother for the collapse of his career
His 54-year-old brother (pictured) was convicted in April 2023 of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child
Schofield has been accused of lying by ITV insiders, after he blamed his brother for the collapse of his career.
In the final episode of Channel 5’s Phillip Schofield: Cast Away, he revealed he would ‘never in a million years’ decide to return to daytime TV, and insisted he was ‘fired for someone else’s crime.’
An ITV source has since dismissed Schofield’s claims, with an insider telling The Mirror: ‘Phillip’s new comments are simply untrue, he is lying again.’
‘We stood by him through his brother’s court case and he then stepped away when things became too much. There was a lot going on and some relationships on the programme had become untenable as was reported at the time.
‘He then admitted himself he had been lying about an affair and he resigned from ITV altogether. We didn’t sack him, he lied to us and then he resigned, there is not much else to say and we as a network just want to move on.’
Timothy told Phillip he had carried out a sex act and watched pornography in the presence of the teenager
Schofield is pictured with his brother in 2017, six years before his conviction and imprisonment
In the third and final episode of his Cast Away series, Phillip went onto say he had always been ‘open and honest with everyone at work about what was happening’ with his brother Timothy.
His 54-year-old brother was convicted in April 2023 of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child.
On the Channel 5 show he said he refused ‘to name and refuse to acknowledge’ his brother who he claimed he had ‘absolutely no qualms whatsoever in shopping’ to police, who he said had ‘praised’ him for getting ‘justice done’.
The Oldham-born presenter said: ‘Even though they knew all of the facts the papers painted me out to be some sort of complicit agent.
‘That was when my world started to collapse. My poor mum, had to tell her about that member of the family. To break that to your mother is tough.
Schofield’s daughter Molly (pictured) has hold of how her dad’s ‘heartbreaking’ This Morning scandal and him coming out as gay has ‘made them closer’ (pictured in 2022)
The presenter has been married to Stephanie Lowe since 1993 and the pair share Molly and Ruby, 28 (both pictured in January 2020)
‘And I had to go through everything with the hierarchy at ITV. The full entire story so that they knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. The full story.’
He added: ‘Everything came to a head the day before he was sentenced when my agent called.
‘My phone rang and I picked it up, ‘mate, are you somewhere quiet’, which is never a good sign, ‘I’ve got a bit of a shock, I’m afraid you’ve been let go from This Morning’. What? ‘Yeah that’s it, it’s done. You’re not going back on Monday’.
‘What? because of what? ‘Think it’s the publicity, mate’, that’s got nothing to do with me, that has nothing to do with me.
‘Why would I be sacked for something someone else did? I’ve just been fired because of him. Because I was becoming more of a story than the programme.
‘It was better for the show, better for the channel. And I agreed to say that I’d resigned because it would be neater for everybody.
‘I was always open and honest with everyone at work about what was happening with my brother. I was fired for the bad publicity, for someone else’s crime.
Schofield infamously described his affair as ‘unwise but not illegal’. He admitted he once met the man at 15, but insisted they did not begin a relationship till he was 20 (both pictured with Holly Willoughby)
In 2020, he shocked the country when he came out as gay, however, he and Stephanie stayed married – albeit separating later that year (pictured on This Morning with Holly Willoughby)
‘And the thing is about a week later, I blew my own wheels off with everything else (his affair), because I thought the only way to even begin to put this right for everybody is to do a full mea culpa.’
Schofield’s daughter has hold of how her dad’s ‘heartbreaking’ This Morning scandal and him coming out as gay has ‘made them closer.’
The presenter has been married to Stephanie Lowe since 1993 and the pair share two daughters: Molly, 31, and Ruby, 28.
In 2020, he shocked the country when he came out as gay, however, he and Stephanie stayed married – albeit separating later that year.
Speaking on Cast Away, Molly opened up about how hard the past few years had been on her family.
She said: ‘What people don’t realise is that they batter you but then there are other people affected.’
Schofield with former colleague Holly Willoughby on This Morning before their respective departures from the ITV show
Molly, who works as her father’s publicist, added: ‘We’ve seen him in his lowest times, but I’ve been so proud of him, and as a daughter to see the love that people had for him that when it’s taken away it’s just heartbreaking.’
‘Weirdly everything that’s happened recently has made us closer.’
‘When my dad came out, it was, it was very hard for me,’ Molly continued.
‘It was very hard for the entire family. Mainly my mum, of course, everything was turned upside down. But we talked through it and over time it’s got easier.’
Schofield has not worked since he left This Morning in May 2023, shortly before his affair was revealed. His co-host and once close friend, Holly Willoughby, later left herself, with Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard taking over their roles.
He quit ITV entirely after admitting he had lied to the Daily Mail about his the affair.
Friends of the star were ‘quite certain’ he would never work again following his admission, but Channel 5 changed this.
One said at the time: ‘Phillip has been very, very down recently. He doesn’t know how he is going to work again. It’s devastating for him to realise but he also knows that there is not a lot he can do about it.
‘He doesn’t know who will take him. He knows there is no way back to ITV or the BBC.’
Sources close to Schofield say that his friends are trying to encourage him to think he can have a ‘fulfilling life’ away from showbusiness.
One said: ‘Just because he may not be on telly again doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy his life. Phil isn’t so sure though.’
Phillip Schofield: Cast Away airs for three nights from Monday September 30, at 9:00pm on Channel 5, and is available to stream on My5.
