Phillip Schofield discreetly puffs on an e-cigarette while waiting for a train – despite all smoking at stations being prohibited
Phillip Schofield was spotted smoking an e-cigarette at a west London train station, despite all forms of smoking being banned there.
The 62-year-old former This Morning presenter smoked an e-cigarette while checking his phone and waiting for the train.
Phillip was dressed casually for the outing: a black jacket with matching pants and a light gray polo shirt. He was still wearing his wedding ring.
Smoking has been banned in railway stations in England since July 2007. This applies to station halls, ticket halls, platforms (covered and uncovered) and pedestrian bridges and metro trains in station areas.
Smoking e-cigarettes is also prohibited. Anyone caught can be prosecuted and fined.
Phillip Schofield was spotted puffing on an e-cigarette at a west London train station, despite all forms of smoking being banned
The former This Morning presenter, 62, took a puff on an e-cigarette while checking his phone as he waited for the train
Phillip was dressed casually for the outing in a black jacket with matching pants and a light gray polo shirt
Phillip has largely kept a low profile following his admission that he had an affair with a much younger colleague.
But in recent weeks he has slowly come back into the spotlight, with more and more performances.
In early May, he was photographed in London looking relaxed, laughing and joking with his good friend Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali Astall.
He had reportedly just finished a four-hour dinner with the ITV star at a restaurant near their home when they were spotted looking hysterical.
Phillip followed this up a few days later by ending his almost year-long social media blackout by reviving his Instagram account with a cute photo of Alfie watching Formula 1.
Daughters Ruby, 27, and Molly, 30, as well as This Morning co-host Josie Gibson, all liked the post within minutes in a clear show of support.
And his beloved daughter Molly is now his publicist, after leaving the agency that once represented her father.
PR guru Mark Borkowski says he made his tepid return to the public eye only after a year-long absence, during which he tried to disappear and get himself in order.
Smoking has been banned in railway stations in England since July 2007. This applies to station halls, ticket halls and on platforms – both covered and uncovered.
Phillip has largely kept a low profile following his admission that he had an affair with a much younger colleague
Phillip left This Morning amid controversy after initially lying to bosses about the “unwise but not illegal” relationship with the male runner who was 34 years his junior
Mr. Borkowski called him a rare talent, saying, “He tests the waters. But the audience is very forgiving.”
Phillip told the BBC in an emotional interview last June that the affair had ended his career and that the aftermath had left him with suicidal thoughts.
He told how his two daughters, Molly and Ruby, had saved his life and had ‘watched over me and never let me out of my sight’.
He admitted during the interview with Amol Rajan that he denied manipulating the younger colleague, before telling critics: “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am.”
Phillip left This Morning amid a storm of controversy after initially lying to bosses about the “unwise but not illegal” relationship with the male runner 34 years his junior.
An external investigation led by barrister Jane Mulcahy KC found that ITV had made “significant efforts” to establish the truth when rumours about the relationship emerged in 2019.
It led to the breakup of his friendship with Holly Willoughby, who texted his ex-BFF because he had lied to her about his affair.
But repeated denials meant the broadcaster was only able to uncover the truth after Schofield had made his confession.
The fallout from the scandal led to the end of his friendship with Holly Willoughby.
After Phillip left the show in May, his co-host Holly Willoughby quit in October over an alleged kidnapping plot.
The duo were officially replaced in March by Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, who took over the show full-time after a number of guest presenters took over the daytime programming.
Friends of the star said in March that he is “pretty sure” he will never work again.
One said: ‘Phillip has been very, very down lately. He doesn’t know how to get back to work. It’s terrible for him to realise that, but he also knows there’s not much he can do about it. He doesn’t know who’s going to take him on. He knows there’s no way back to ITV or the BBC.’
Sources close to the star say his friends are trying to convince him he can have a “fulfilling life” outside of show business.
One said: ‘Just because he might not be on TV anymore doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy his life. Phil isn’t so sure about that though.’
However, the star is being tipped for a job on national radio – his “first love” – with Britain’s biggest commercial stations reportedly trying to lure him in as a way to attract new listeners from rivals including BBC Radio 2.