Phillip Schofield admits affair with "younger male colleague" as he's dropped by agent
Phillip Schofield has admitted to having a relationship with a "younger male colleague" who worked on This Morning.
In a statement obtained by the Daily Mail, the presenter, who stepped down from hosting This Morning last week, said that "the relationship was unwise, but not illegal".
The statement reads: "I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.
"Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over."
"In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven't been truthful about the relationship," Schofield continued.
"But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake, it is important for me to be honest now.
Related: ITV responds to claims Phillip Schofield was sacked from This Morning
"I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family.
"I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife."
Schofield also said that he has stepped down from hosting the British Soap Awards next week and has resigned from ITV altogether.
He said: "I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me."
Digital Spy reached out to ITV for comment on this matter. A representative said in a statement: "The British Soap Awards will take place next Saturday as planned, and we will make further announcements in due course."
Schofield went on to say: "I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it."
Related: This Morning addresses Phillip Schofield's exit on air with tribute
He finished his statement by asking for the privacy of the man involved, who he has not named.
"My deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so," Schofield said.
"I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected."
Schofield has also parted company with his management team YMU after 35 years, with the agency releasing a statement of their own.
Mary Bekhait, the Group CEO of YMU Group, said: "Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU's whole business, defining everything we do. Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust.
"This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield. These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisors we had brought in to support him.
"As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect."
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