Lorraine Kelly reveals she was ‘heartbroken’ when Phillip Scofield’s career ended but says ‘he will be fine’ in wake of affair scandal
Lorraine Kelly has claimed fellow TV star Phillip Schofield has fallen on hard times after revealing his affair with a younger male colleague.
The TV personality, 64, presents a weekly chat show that airs just before ITV’s This Morning, which was hosted by Phillip and Holly Willoughby for more than a decade.
In May last year, Phillip resigned from ITV and was dropped by his talent agency after admitting he was in an ‘ill-advised but not illegal’ relationship.
Lorraine told The Sunday Times Magazine: ‘I was heartbroken when it all happened. It’s just a shame for the great career he’s had that it ends this way.”
She called him “generous”, unlike some other male TV presenters, and said she thinks “everyone has gone a bit crazy” during the media furor.
Lorraine Kelly has claimed fellow TV star Phillip Schofield has fallen on hard times after revealing his affair with a younger male colleague
Lorraine told The Sunday Times Magazine: ‘I was heartbroken when it all happened. It’s just a shame for the great career he’s had that it ends this way.”
Lorraine said: ‘He’s doing well and he’ll be fine, but it’s hard.’
She added that she finds “the whole stack-us culture very sad and quite depressing,” and that there are people in the entertainment industry who are “happy to see someone’s demise.”
Lorraine also said she believes “there’s a front-page tabloid story about everyone, including her.
In May last year, Phillip, 61, quit presenting the magazine show after 20 years with his best friend Holly , when his affair was made public.
He has disappeared from the spotlight in recent months. After much speculation about his private life, his affair finally became public and he admitted he was left ‘broken and ashamed’ but insisted he was not a groomer.
Phillip told The Sun in June that he was afraid to leave the house and that the fallout had had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind.
He also told the BBC’s Amol Rajan that his daughters had “guarded me and would not let me out of their sight”, fearing for his mental health.
An external investigation by ITV published a report last year saying Phillip had ‘reluctantly declined’ to take part due to ‘the risk to his health’.
In May last year, Phillip resigned from ITV and was dropped by his talent agency after admitting he was in an ‘ill-advised but not illegal’ relationship.
Holly left the show after 14 years on the bench, saying she made the ‘decision for me and my family’
It found that the broadcaster made ‘significant efforts’ to uncover the truth about an alleged relationship between Schofield and a runner on This Morning in 2019, but was ‘unable to uncover the relevant evidence’ until his confession in 2023.
Lorraine also told The Sunday Times Magazine that it’s ‘just lovely’ that Holly is back on TV screens for Dancing On Ice after leaving This Morning last October.
Holly left the show after 14 years on the bench, saying she made the ‘decision for me and my family’.
She will continue to present Dancing On Ice, where she will be joined by Deal Or No Deal presenter Stephen Mulhern as Schofield’s replacement.