Jason Gardiner reveals curt reply from Phillip Schofield over affair

Jason Gardiner claims he received an abrupt reply from Phillip Schofield when the Dancing On Ice judge questioned the former This Morning presenter about his affair with a younger colleague.

Television presenter Phillip, 61, was sacked by ITV and his talent agency YMU after admitting to the Mail that he had been in an ‘ill-advised but not illegal relationship’ with a much younger This Morning runner.

And Jason, who saw Phil with the runner on the Dancing On Ice set, said he first heard talk about the relationship in 2020, when Phillip came out as gay.

The speculation prompted Jason to message Phillip on Twitter.

He explained The sun: ‘I got into a bit of a downward spiral.

Spotted: Jason, who saw Phil with the runner on the Dancing On Ice set, said he first heard talk about the relationship in 2020 when Phillip came out as gay

“I said, ‘I know this is a really hard time for you and I support you in your decision to come out, but I also feel like I need to ask you about certain rumors that are going around online and are you aware of that? ?”.’

Jason claims Phillip replied with a single word, “Seriously?”

The Australian choreographer added: ‘That was it. It was very dismissive and that made me uncomfortable because I thought, ‘I’ve been very authentically reaching out to you,’ and it really pissed me off.”

It comes after Phillip broke his silence over claims he could make a comeback on TalkTV following his departure from This Morning.

He left the show after admitting to having an affair with a younger man whom he labeled “unwise but not illegal.”

However, Andy Barr, CEO of 10 Yetis Digital, claimed that Phillip could return to the profession in the future, and on Saturday the TV pundit told the Daily star: “TalkTV could be the career recovery platform Schofield needs right now.

“If current media spots don’t reveal any new allegations, then this is fully recoverable for him and TalkTV could be the perfect place for him to start over in a high-profile media environment.”

TalkTV is home to hosts like Piers Morgan and Jeremy Kyle, with the former publicly sympathizing with Phillip on social media following his departure from the show.

Host: Phillip presented Dancing On Ice alongside Holly Willoughby before being dropped from ITV (pictured in February)

Fencing star: Australian choreographer Jason was an occasional judge on Dancing On Ice from 2006 to 2019

However, a legal representative of Phillip has told that The mirror that the host had no intention of joining TalkTV and said, “Absolutely not as far as I know.”

In a recent interview with the BBC, Phillip said he believed his career was ‘over’ and that he had ‘lost everything’ after admitting lying about his relationship with a younger man on This Morning.

“I have to talk about television in the past tense, it breaks my heart,” he told the publication. ‘What am I going to do with my days? I see nothing but darkness, sadness, regret, remorse and guilt. I did something very wrong, and then I lied about it consistently.”

He said the criticism he’s received since admitting to the affair has had a “catastrophic effect,” adding, “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am. I’ve lost everything.’

In the interviews, Schofield, who was also sacked by his talent agency YMU after confessing to the Mail about the “ill-advised but not illegal relationship,” said he was “utterly heartbroken and ashamed.”

Schofield told the BBC the young man, who briefly worked as a runner on This Morning, was 20 when he first had any sexual contact with him.

He told The Sun they had become friends, but in 2017 – three years before he came out as gay and divorced wife Stephanie Lowe after 27 years – “something happened that just changed it.”

There was “a consensual moment” in Schofield’s dressing room after a show and “it was mutual.”

He said he was not in a “love relationship” with the man and that “it wasn’t a relationship, we weren’t boyfriends, we were friends.”

Speaking out: It comes after Phillip broke his silence over claims he could ‘rebuild his presenting career through TalkTV’ following Saturday’s This Morning scandal

He said “it wasn’t feelings” he got, but it was “more like friends: excitement.” He added, “I was really struggling with my sexuality at the time leading up to what happened.” The pair only had “five or six romantic encounters” over a period of about six months.

He said they had only met once at Schofield’s south-east London apartment after calling the young man to invite him for a beer.

He also denied using ITV money to pay taxis for the man, saying: ‘I don’t have an ITV account.’

Schofield said he had “no excuse” for what happened, “no one did anything wrong but me” and “I was unprofessional once in a 41-year career.”