Why isn’t Philip Schofield on This Morning this week?

Phillip Schofield was absent from This Morning for the fourth day in a row, and comedian Joel Dommett stepped in to fill in for him.

The 60-year-old host usually fronts the Monday-Thursday show with longtime co-host Holly Willoughby, but has taken an unexpected break from the show this week.

On Monday and Tuesday, Phillip was replaced by regular Friday presenter Holly Willoughby, and on Wednesday and Thursday, Joel stepped in.

It is understood that Phillip will return to his This Morning hosting duties on Monday, April 3.

So why has Phillip taken a break from This Morning? Here is everything you need to know…

Why isn’t Phillip Schofield on This Morning?

This Morning has not confirmed the reason for Phillip’s sudden absence, although it comes after his brother Timothy Schofield, 54, went on trial this week on charges of sexually abusing a schoolboy.

His trial heard that when he told his brother, a television personality, that he and the boy performed a sexual act together, Phillip responded: ‘What did you say?’ And after the defendant described the ‘time’ he and his alleged victim spent together, the celebrity responded: ‘What the hell is [that]?’

The TV presenter told his brother it “should never happen again” and later gave a statement to police that he is part of the case against his younger brother, the court was told.

Timothy Schofield faces 11 counts of sex crimes allegedly committed against the boy over three years since October 2016. He denies all of them.

He is charged with forcing him to watch sexual acts and engage in sexual acts. He also allegedly performed sexual acts in front of the accuser.

Opening the case, prosecutor Robin Shellard said: “This is a case about Timothy Schofield’s obsessive sexual interest in [his alleged victim] and the subsequent sexual abuse of that adolescent.’

The jury heard how the abuse progressed until the alleged victim confronted Schofield in August 2021 and said “things” have to stop.

New Face: Comedian Joel Dommett stepped in to fill in for the host on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

Dynamic duo: On Monday and Tuesday, Alison Hammond stepped in to introduce the show with Holly Willoughby

The defendant, who was working for the police in a civilian position at the time, visited his older brother the following month, the court heard.

Shellard said the ‘perverted relationship’ was clearly ‘affecting’ both the defendant and his alleged victim.

He said: ‘On September 12, 2021, he called his brother Phillip and told him his head was a mess and he could come see him.

Defendant is seven years younger than Phillip and they had not been particularly close growing up, however in December 2019 Defendant came out to his brother that he was gay.

‘According to Phillip, the defendant traveled that day and was extremely agitated. His sister described him as very angry and distraught.

The defendant also told his brother that he was impotent. The defendant then said that his sister would hate him for what he was about to say, but Phillip said that he would not. Then the defendant said… that last year [he and the boy] I had seen porn and sex together.

‘Phillip Schofield then said, ‘What did you just say?’ and the defendant repeated that it was last year and only once. Phillip said it should never happen again.

Schofield then went on to describe the boy’s body in a sexual way and said he had a name for the “time” they spent together, the court heard. The TV presenter replied: ‘What the hell is [that]?’ and he was ‘shocked’, the court was told.

Shellard said the defendant then “went home” and “was never spoken of again.” The alleged victim had begun counseling and told a therapist about the abuse claims in November 2021. Police were alerted and Schofield was arrested days later.

Judge Johannah Cutts revealed to the jury that the defendant’s brother was a celebrity and asked them to ignore any potential distractions stemming from his fame.

She said: ‘His brother is Phillip Schofield, and he happens to be a well-known television personality. I say “it just so happens” because that fact has no relevance in this case.

He added: “The fact that he is the defendant’s brother changes nothing in this trial, the defendant will be tried in the same fair manner as any other defendant.”

In a police interview conducted in court, the alleged victim described the first time she was abused. “It was horrible, like really,” she said. She said Schofield bought a projector for them to watch adult movies together. Some films included ‘violent’ acts and animals, the court heard.

He said he realized that the defendant “had this whole fantasy of being sexually active with me” and accused him of developing the “plan” over several years.

The accuser was afraid to go to the police because of the “terrible temper” of the “wicked and vile” defendant and was “very frightened of the repercussions”.

Police arrested Schofield, from Bath, Somerset, on December 3, 2021 and raided his home.

They seized his electronic devices where the browsing history showed searches for ‘teenage boy box’ and ‘gay teen porn torrents’ and also had ‘multiple images’ of ‘teenagers in sexualized poses’ among 30 indecent images of children, the se he told the court.

Timothy allegedly “emotionally blackmailed” the boy into performing sexual acts while pornography was projected on a wall and became “moody, quicker to anger, somewhat more unpredictable” after the victim confronted him.

The teen claimed that Timothy made him feel like he couldn’t ‘run away’ from the abuse and was ‘forced’ into having a ‘secret sex life’ with him that felt ‘very, very wrong’.

The boy denied suggestions by the defendant’s lawyer that he was “exaggerating” the claims and that the sexual activity was only for “18 months” when he was an older teenager.

The schoolboy agreed that Schofield became “moody, quicker to anger, somewhat more unpredictable” after confronting him about the sexual acts.

Drama: It comes after his brother Timothy Schofield, 54, went on trial this week on charges of sexually assaulting a schoolboy who allegedly made a confession to his famous brother.

He also claimed that the defendant once filled him with drink to make him ‘more pliable’ to sexual advances.

He said it was ‘part of a plan’ to get him drunk so that ‘some kind of sexual thing could happen’.

Peter Binder, in defense, told the alleged victim that this was an ‘exaggeration’.

He also said he was “exaggerating” about how many years there was sexual activity between them, suggesting it was only for “18 months” when he was an older teenager.

Binder said: “You knew that what you and the defendant were doing was wrong, but you accepted it without reluctance.”

It has since been announced that Alison and Dermot O’Leary will fill in for Phillip and Holly over the two-week Easter break.

ITV had already scheduled the duo’s break, but it will mean Schofield will miss at least three weeks of shows before he returns to the air.