The runner turned lover of Phillip Schofield filmed a showreel at the This Morning studios in an attempt to launch himself as a TV personality.
The man, whom the Mail does not identify, interviewed Schofield himself in the film, which sources say was ‘made and paid for by ITV’.
The video shows a closeness and ease between the pair, with the runner talking about “singing in the shower.”
The reel was created and shared in 2015, the year the younger man, now in his mid-twenties, arrived to work on the show.
A senior ITV source said: ‘This is quite extraordinary. It shows the extent of Schofield’s influence that he could make this happen for someone so young.
The showreel begins with the young runner walking down a hallway, pointing out portraits of presenters, including Phillip Schofield
The man, who the Mail does not identify, interviewed Schofield himself in the reel, which sources say was ‘created and paid for by ITV’
“Anyone who made it happen will of course have wondered why this was done to a runner and what the relationship was between them.
‘Of course it was all bought and paid for by ITV – it was filmed at the This Morning studios by the show’s cameramen. It even starts with the This Morning music. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it.
How many runners will have access to the cameras, studio and main presenter? I’ll tell you how many: none.’
The bombshell video again raises questions about who at ITV knew or suspected the presenter was having what he called an “ill-advised but not illegal” romance with a very young colleague.
ITV bosses today faced further questions about what they knew then after claims emerged that the younger lover had received a financial settlement from the broadcaster.
A source told the Mail the money was handed to the man, who, after declaring his love for Schofield at an awards ceremony in January 2020, was diverted to another network daytime programme, Loose Women.
ITV has repeatedly declined to comment on or deny the alleged settlement.
The video again raises questions about who at ITV knew or suspected the presenter was having an ‘ill-advised but not illegal’ romance with a very young colleague.
The young man spends a brief stint in the This Morning kitchen, inviting viewers to email him about their favorite foods, before introducing Schofield.
The pair met when Schofield was in his fifties, giving a lecture to a theater school. At that time, his future lover was 15 and eager to pursue a career in the TV industry.
He was later hired to work for This Morning on a junior basis, but left the show in 2020, the year Schofield came out as gay.
In the four-minute, 19-second video, the young man emerges from the elevators at This Morning.
He says, “You can probably tell by the star on the elevator where I am. That’s right, I’m at the This Morning studios – where hundreds of famous faces have come straight off this elevator, from A-listers like Channing Tatum and Russell Crowe and Julie Andrews to famous politicians like Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair and David Cameron. And our own This Morning family.’
As he walks down the hall past framed photos of the hosts, he says, “There’s Gino D’Acampo, our great Italian stallion, and Phil Vickery. Hello Eamonn! And beautiful Holly. Holly is on maternity leave. And one man who knows this room all too well is this man, Mr Phillip Schofield – and I’ll talk to him in a few minutes.’
Then comes a short spell in the This Morning kitchen where he invites viewers to email him about their favorite foods, before introducing Schofield.
“Next year he will have 34 years – wow – in the picture. This man started occasionally presenting on Fridays and he is still there after 12 years. That’s a long temporary job, isn’t it, Phillip!?’
Smiling, Schofield tells the story of how he was cast in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Schofield asks, “Can you sing?”
Smiling, Schofield tells the story of how he was cast in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Schofield asks, “Can you sing?”
The runner interjects, “Well, I sing in the shower,” to which Schofield agrees, adding, “In the car.”
The two laugh over a clip of Schofield presenting children’s programs for the BBC in his days with Gordon the Gopher from the 1980s ‘broom closet’ set. Schofield says, “I don’t know what’s worse there – whether it’s the singing or the jumping.”
The younger man replies, ‘I think it’s all brilliant, I really do. That to me is what I think a children’s presenter should be. It’s entertaining.’
He then says to his mentor, “I think you’re doing a really good job,” and adds, “You get away with it, you know how to keep it up.”
ITV did not respond to a request for comment on the video today.
A friend of Schofield’s said this week that his young friend was ambitious enough to form friendships with Schofield’s famous friends.
“He really liked the spotlight and the lifestyle,” they said. “It was clear to everyone that they were an item.”
Last Friday, Schofield issued a statement to the Mail saying he was ‘deeply sorry’ for lying about his relationship with the boy after questions from our sister paper, The Mail on Sunday.
He said: ‘I did have a consensual on and off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.
Contrary to speculation, while I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him in television, it wasn’t until after he started working on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It’s over now.
“When I chose to come out, I did it entirely for my own good. No one ‘forced’ me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued any warrant, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he has never moved or been fired by or because of me.
“In an effort to protect my ex-colleague, I have not been honest about the relationship. But my recent unrelated departure from This Morning fueled speculation and raised questions that have affected him, so for him it’s important for me to be honest now.”